Against Ranked Opponents
Overall: 6-23
Wagner: 1-2
Won 1-of-3 against ranked opponents at Wagner, defeating No. 15 Pittsburgh 59-54 in 2012 after losses to No. 4 UConn earlier that year and No. 25 A&M the year before.
Interestingly, both Pitt and UConn were spending their last year in the previous Big East at the time. Both would also end up vying to land the Seton Hall alum as head coach when he left Rhode Island in 2018 (we know who won that battle….)
Hurley has beaten a AP No. 15 three times (at Pitt 2012, vs. Syracuse 2019, vs. Florida 2020), causing a triple-tie for highest ranked win. While at Rhode island, Hurley suffered losses to No. 1 Duke, No. 2 Maryland, No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Arizona.
Rhode Island: 3-11
Hurley managed three wins over ranked opponents at URI, earning all in out-of-conference November games. His first ranked win at Rhode Island came against No. 21 Nebraska 66-62 in the Ram’s third game of the 2014 season. Five losses to ranked opponents followed before Hurley was able to beat No. 24 Cincinnati in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament in the 2017 season.
Hurley’s final win at URI against a ranked opponent was probably his favorite with the Rams. He started his final year at the program with as good a game as you can ask for on Thanksgiving Day, snatching a last second 75-74 win over his alma mater Seton Hall in the 2018 NIT Preseason Tournament. After establishing a 51-45 lead going into half, URI allowed the Pirates to go on a 27-17 run which saw Seton Hall leading with just under six minutes to play. As time winded down on URI’s last possession of the game, Jared Terrell made magic, lofting an off-balance shot over four defenders to give Hurley’s Rams the lead with 5.7 seconds on the clock.
No. 20 Seton Hall couldn’t match, and URI moved on to the tournament championship to face Virginia. They would lose the final 70-55.
UConn: 3-10
Hurley’s first big challenge at Connecticut gave early confirmation to Husky fans that he was indeed the right replacement to replace a failing Kevin Ollie in Storrs. In a signpost game that pointed to both past and future, Hurley was charged with leading the Huskies against No. 15 Syracuse in his third game as UConn’s new head coach.
The 2018 2K Classic semifinal cast a bright light upon the new coach and rebuilding program. Not only did it highlight one of UConn’s most historic rivalries, the atmosphere created by two former Big East teams facing off at Madison Square Garden would foreshadow the Huskies’ eventual return to the conference (and Big East Tournament) in 2021.
Hurley earned his first UConn win over a ranked opponent at one of the greatest venues in sports, coaching the Huskies to a 83-76 win over Syracuse. Despite losing to No. 11 Florida State a few weeks later and two losses to Houston later in the season, ranked No. 9 and No. 11, UConn’s win over the Orange gave hope that Hurley could return the Huskies to the highest level of college basketball.
The remaining two ranked wins by Hurley at UConn happened in the 2020 season, starting with a close 62-59 home win over No. 15 Florida at Gampel Pavilion. After losing four straight ranked games (No. 18 Xavier, No. 23 Wichita State, No. 14 Villanova and No. 25 Houston), the Huskies managed to secure a 77-71 win over No. 22 Houston in UConn’s final home game of the year.
Hurley is 0-3 against ranked teams this year, losing to Creighton at No. 9 and No. 11 and No. 10 Villanova. Although the Huskies haven’t beaten a Top 25 team this year, they reached No. 23 in the poll in mid-January before losing James Bouknight to an elbow injury for eight games (4-4).
Hurley has a great chance to rack up some ranked wins as UConn enters their conference tournament as the #3 seed, with a ticket to March Madness all-but-punched regardless of their performance in the Big East Tournament. The Huskies will return to the hallowed ground of Madison Square Garden this week to play in their first BET since 2013.
The Huskies defeated Georgetown 98-82 to end the regular season, and now will try to break their tie with the Hoyas for most Big East tournament titles (7). UConn will take on the winner of No. 6 Providence and No. 11 Depaul on Thursday, March 11 at 9 p.m. EST following their first-round bye.