Dan Hurley credits 'Jersey boss lady' wife Andrea for keeping UConn out of trouble in wild finish vs Duke

While the UConn Huskies person each sights acceptable connected a travel backmost to the nationalist title astatine stake, it’s hard not to support reasoning astir the insane ending against Duke, wherever a halftime tribunal changeable sealed triumph successful a mode acceptable for March Madness.

But caput manager Dan Hurley credited his wife, Andrea, who helium called a "Jersey brag lady," for making definite the Huskies didn’t bash thing they’d regret aft that three-pointer gave them a 73-72 lead, securing them a spot successful the Final Four.

Hurley, making an quality connected Barstool Sports’ "Pardon My Take," agreed with Dan "Big Cat" Katz erstwhile helium mentioned however "incredible" Andrea was successful making definite each the players and unit went backmost to the seat aft the changeable was hit.

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Head manager Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies reacts successful the archetypal fractional of a quarterfinal crippled against the Villanova Wildcats during the Big East Men's Basketball Tournament astatine Madison Square Garden connected March 13, 2025 successful New York City, New York. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

With 0.3 seconds inactive near connected the clock, the Huskies whitethorn person gotten a method foul, which would effect successful escaped throws for Duke.

"Yeah, she’s a boss. She’s the Jersey brag lady. And her connection is colorful, too. I mean, she was grabbing radical astir the backmost of their warmups. And she doesn’t cognize thing astir basketball, you know?" Hurley said.

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Hurley revealed the speech helium had with his woman aft the Final Four spot was secured.

"I said to her connected the plane, ‘This is wild. Three retired of 4 years, you’re going to the Final Four. Do you ever ideate this with your life’" Hurley said.

"And she’s like, ‘I didn’t adjacent cognize Final Four existed until 4 years ago."

Four years ago, Hurley made his archetypal travel to the Final Four, and the effect was precisely what helium had hoped for: a nationalist title title.

Andrea Hurley, woman of UConn Huskies caput manager Dan Hurley, watches the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame accumulation crippled betwixt the UConn Huskies and Boston College Eagles astatine Mohegan Sun Arena successful Uncasville, Conn., connected Oct. 13, 2025. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire)

The Huskies were capable to support that rubric successful 2024, maintaining their No. 1 wide effect passim the year. But aft losing successful the 2nd circular to Florida successful past year’s NCAA Tournament, the Huskies came successful looking for redemption.

They got arsenic precocious arsenic No. 2 successful the AP rankings, and they are a No. 2 effect acceptable to look No. 3 Illinois with a accidental to instrumentality to the nationalist title adjacent Monday.  

But that wouldn’t person been the lawsuit if his players didn’t intercept a walk by Duke prima Cam Boozer, the lad of Duke and NBA large Carlos Boozer, and Braylon Mullins drilling a three-pointer astir astatine the buzzer successful a bizarre decorativeness to their Elite Eight matchup.

UConn Huskies caput manager Dan Hurley watches from the sideline arsenic his squad takes connected the Columbia Lions astatine Harry A. Gampel Pavilion successful Storrs, Connecticut, connected Nov. 10, 2025. (David Butler II/Imagn Images)

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At that moment, UConn came backmost from what was a 19-point shortage to daze the Blue Devils and gain a travel to Lucas Oil Stadium, wherever they volition instrumentality connected Illinois, the top-ranked discourtesy successful the state this year, for a spot successful the final.

The teams volition extremity disconnected successful Indianapolis astatine 6:09 p.m. ET connected Saturday.

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