At this point, nothing is going to surprise us when it comes to Dan Hurley.
Hey, give him some props, as UConn was able to take down Illinois in the Final Four. Respect to the Huskies for a solid win, but it doesn't take anything away from the incredible season the Fighting Illini just posted. With that said, how about winning with some class, Mr. Hurley?
Illinois fans were losing faith with Dan Hurley running circles around Brad Underwood
Right after the final whistle, Hurley caught up with reporter Tracy Wolfson and it didn't take long for Illinois fans to start showering him with some boos. At first, Hurley questioned things a bit, but then he decided to troll everyone with his final comments.
“You’re set up for success at UConn,” Hurley said. “Geno Auriemma, Jim Calhoun, Kevin Ollie, just some incredible coaches before me. Got the best staff in the country, got an incredible group of players and there’s nothing like the bus ride that Monday night over to the stadium when you’re one of the last two teams standingggg.”
"There's nothing like the bus ride on Monday night over to the stadium when you're one of the last two teams STANDING" 🙌@tracywolfson gets comments from a very hoarse Dan Hurley after UConn's big win in the #MFinalFour 🤣 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/sOazuN7Ubr
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 5, 2026
Dan Hurley fully trolled Illinois fans right after UConn's Final Four win
On the surface, sure, what Hurley said wouldn't seem like much. However, he emphasized the 'standing' in a big way and then he put his hands up in the air and gave quite the look to the people in the stands. Hurley knew exactly what he was doing.
Now, he's one win away from UConn taking home another national championship and the fact that he's doing all of this with so much arrogance makes things worse. It's safe to say that the Illinois faithful are going to be cheering on Arizona/Michigan with the title on the line.
As for the Illini, it just wasn't meant to be in this one. Illinois went cold from the outside for a good chunk of the game and while things were made close late in the action, there was no miracle finish for Brad Underwood and his players. As you might have been able to guess, there was plenty of heartbreak once the loss was official.
Despite that, we've got to tip our hat to what this group was able to accomplish this year. Before the NCAA Tournament even got started, not many people outside of Champaign thought this team would be able to push for a trip to the Final Four. Haters were silenced, but the only letdown here is that Hurley is still talking. Maybe some karma will catch up to him in the National Championship game - it sure would be sweet to see him eat his words.