Save Your Fake Outrage: Dan Hurley’s ‘Street Fight’ Demeanor Has UConn Two Wins From A Title At Final Four

INDIANAPOLIS — The moment Braylon Mullins hit the game-winning shot to send UConn to the Final Four may have changed his life. But Dan Hurley doesn’t hang banners for getting this far.

There are already autographed photos of Mullins’ shot being sold for around $450, and the moment will live on in March Madness history. But Hurley made sure his team didn’t linger on it for long before turning the page.

For all the wild finishes this tournament has delivered, Mullins’ three-pointer in the nation’s capital will be remembered for all the right reasons.

Having grown up just 25 miles from Lucas Oil Stadium, Mullins returns to the same city where he once played for high school championships — only this time, the stakes are far greater. UConn faces Illinois on Saturday with a trip to the national title game on the line.

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When Mullins walked into the locker room after the win, a crowd of reporters was already waiting. Fresh off a Westwood One interview, the freshman guard stepped into a scene that felt straight out of a movie — one that might eventually be made.

A true freshman, Mullins put himself in this position to come back home. But even for Dan Hurley, it was time to move on, though he didn't want to be some sort of downer on the moment.

"It's like a dream come true, a dream scenario," Dan Hurley said on Thursday. "It will be on a made-for-TV movie, or I guess it will go right to streaming now. I had to let everyone enjoy it, I couldnt come in Monday like a cold damp blanket and just start destroying people. It would've been just a cruel thing to do to people's spirits, after such an incredible victory."

There have been times this week when Dan Hurley has been the brunt of hot-takes aimed at him making contact with an official after Braylon Mullins drained the game-winner against Duke, but that has clearly not fazed the Huskies coach. 

That intensity is nothing new to his players.

"Coach is one of a kind, man," Mullins said. "He might be the only one who could get away with that. Looking back on it, I still can’t believe he did it."

It's simple: Hurley is a very passionate coach, looking to pull every ounce of effort out of his players. 

Are you surprised? Silas Demary Jr. has seen just about everything from his head coach, but even that was a moment he needed to soak in a number of times, even last night with the team. 

"That was crazy, because in the moment I didn't really see him doing it," Silas Demary Jr. jokingly said. "But to see him do it, and from different angles, it was kind of crazy. We even looked back at it last night as a team and just broke down every part."

Outrage Be Damned: Dan Hurley’s ‘Street Fight’ Mentality Has UConn Two Wins From A Title At Final Four Photo of Braylon Mullins, via Trey Wallace

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Some people are making the coach's sideline antics out to be one of the worst things for college basketball. 

But, I also don't think folks realize just how likable Dan Hurley actually is, which is lost between his demeanor inside the coaches' box and how he interacts with those around the program on a daily basis. 

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He's also not going to apologize for the way he works the referees during a game. Why would he? Sure, it might rub folks the wrong way or put him in the spotlight, but that does not mean he's in the wrong. 

"There's, obviously, the reaction and outrage. I guess I just look at it a lot differently," Dan Hurley noted. "I think we all do, and I guess that's what makes social media so appealing to people. You can have the discourse about how somebody carries themselves. For me, it's a life or death battle, it's a war. It's a street fight for me."

"I'm an intense coach, it's not easy to work my games. But, I've also got zero technical fouls in my NCAA Tournament coaching career. And, I just jinxed myself. Now, I'm going to get bounced out of this thing. Getting walked out of a stadium, a long walk."

Now, you can almost rest assured the Huskies' coach is snagging at least one technical while in Indianapolis over what could be two games. 

As for the shot last weekend that Braylon Mullins hit to bring UConn to the State of Indiana, that moment in history is now in the past. 

For the fiery UConn coach, they don't want to leave Indianapolis with complimentary watches given out by the Final Four welcoming party. 

"The reality is that moment is over. It's an incredible moment. You'll have that moment the rest of your life. But we came here for rings, not watches. Everyone that comes to the Final Four gets a beautiful watch, but only one group is going to get a ring."