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What UConn’s Dan Hurley said to (and about) referees during the F-bomb meltdown: Was he fined?
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What UConn’s Dan Hurley said to (and about) referees during the F-bomb meltdown: Was he fined?

Dan Hurley is a great quote – for reporters. Not so much for match officials.

And his caustic New Jersey tongue led to a 99-97 overtime loss to Memphis in the first round of the Maui Invitational on Monday — but the Jersey City native somehow escaped a fine and/or suspension after had taunted the zebras on the field and after the game.

A Big East official, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on the subject, told NJ Advance Media that Hurley has not been fined, adding that it is rare for a fine or suspension to be imposed for a non-league match.

Hurley likely escaped discipline because he did not specifically name the officials or question their integrity, another league official said.

The loss snapped a 17-game winning streak for the two-time defending NCAA champions — the longest in the nation — until last February in Creighton.

Hurley was upset about an over-the-back offensive rebound call against the Huskies’ Liam McNeeley when the game was tied with 40.3 seconds left.

Hurley fell to the ground in disbelief and was officially Pat Driscoll, a video showed. “You’re a joke!”

Driscoll has been a college hoops referee for more than 30 years.

Memphis’ PJ Carter made four free throws – two for the personal foul, two for the technical foul – to put the Tigers ahead for good.

Hurley told CBS Sports that he didn’t think his technical foul was the reason his team lost. Rather, he said, it was “the s—-y calls” that stymied UConn all game. Hurley, who was restrained by an assistant coach during his on-field appearance, continued to rob the referee after the game.

“For that call to be made at that point in the game was a complete joke,” Hurley said.

He added: “Maybe I lost my balance due to the absurdity of the call, or maybe I tripped… But if I had called at that moment I would have ignored the fact that I was on my back. If I had called that, I would have ignored it. I would have ignored that.

‘That was clearly a major, a major. How you could call that while that game was going on, the way that game was going on, is beyond me.”

Driscoll officiated the match with Steven Anderson and Scott Brown.

“I’ve never seen that one referee. I didn’t even know he was a college referee, and I know the other two too, so I’m not surprised,” Hurley said.

UConn was also called for a technical about four minutes into the game when the team’s medical trainer spoke up. Huskies center Samson Johnson also drew a technical foul midway through overtime.

In June, when Hurley threw out the first pitch before a Yankees game at Yankee Stadium, he said he would stir up controversy if necessary — to make his players believe they are underdogs, even after the program’s past two NCAA championships won titles.

“I have a chip on my shoulder and I think we’re undervalued and people think I’m bad, so I usually just look for slights or create them that don’t exist just to keep that chip on UConn’s shoulder, he told NJ Advance Media. “I think that’s been the driving force behind the program. I know it was always that way with coach (Jim) Calhoun, so it worked out pretty well for him.”

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