The weather may be heavenly in Maui, but Dan Hurley and his UConn Huskies didn’t enjoy their trip to Hawaii much this year.

The Huskies are 0-2 so far in Lahaina, but it’s not the loss itself that could keep UConn from coming back to the Maui Invitational (UConn hasn’t defended well enough to win) — it’s the odious referee who dictated both. games.

A BIG EAST team like UConn is used to games that are played in a professional and fair manner for both sides, with referees who understand how to call a physical, high-level Division I basketball game. That hasn’t been the case in Maui, for what it’s worth.

Not getting a good whistle is part of basketball, and the Huskies are not exempt from referee abuse just because they are back-to-back champions. In fact, it is more likely to occur. A UConn loss is a big headline these days, and the powers that be at the Maui Invitational would want the event to get all the media attention it can get while the tournament is happening.

Hurley, who confronted the referee during Tuesday’s postgame presser, knows that adversity as such is something his team has to go through and something that will make his players stronger as a result.

“(The officiating) obviously has a big impact,” Hurley said.

“It just tells how the last two days have gone for us. You know, yesterday was an over-the-back that was leveled at us, and today it was more blatant, because the kid…pulled Liam’s (McNeeley) arm down. I’ve seen the replay of it.”

“In basketball sometimes you don’t get a good whistle. It’s just not like we came here.”

“It killed us that so many guys got into trouble during the game.”

Although Hurley has been much calmer and reserved with the referee during both press conferences in Maui than his on-court behavior indicates, there has already been a lot of buzz that UConn has felt disrespected by the tournament, to the extent that they never more will return. at least not in the Hurley era.

FOX Sports’ John Fanta made such a revelation Tuesday about an hour after the Colorado game.

“Well, we can conclude one thing: UConn will not be back in the Maui Invitational,” Fanta wrote to X.

It’s an interesting story that will surround UConn and Hurley for the rest of the holiday week. How useful are these games in Maui for major programs if the games don’t happen the way the games will happen in March, or even during the conference in December?

There is a valid argument to be made about the value of enduring horrific conditions to build team character.

But it certainly won’t help seed your NCAA Tournaments.

More NCAA: UConn’s Dan Hurley criticizes poor leadership after Memphis loss: ‘That was a joke’