What is going on with the Huskies? Their three-peat dreams aren’t exactly panning out as expected, after surprising losses to Xavier and Creighton. Dan Hurley’s UConn team has struggled in conference play this season, and it’s not so hard to understand why. While the effect of residual championships may be there, they also lost a crucial cog in Liam McNeeley, courtesy of a high ankle sprain on January 1 against DePaul. UConn’s post-season fortunes are in doubt, however, as analysts predict dark times for the Huskies ahead.

On Locked On UConn podcast, show hosts Mark Zanetto and Dan Meehan gave their two cents on Dan Hurley’s team. “Make no mistake about it, to everyone at home listening, this team can still miss the tournament,” Meehan boldly predicted. They currently stand 4th in the Big East, going on a bit of back and forth in the last 5 games with three conference losses mixed in.

March Madness brackets aren’t favoring the Huskies either. “If Joe Lunardi [is] generously giving you an eighth seed, and guys like my friend Rocco, who don’t have the same platform, so he’s probably just going strictly by the numbers and has zero rooting interest. And he slots UConn as a 10? You’re like two losses away from being on the bubble, easily!” Mark Zanetto explained, mentioning Rocco Miller, the self-proclaimed Bracketeer.

It is surprising that UConn has fallen this far, however, considering that they were favorites to repeat. Hurley’s reign over college basketball seemed to be unshakeable, even at the start of this season. An early 4-0 run instilled fear into the hearts of the Big East, but it wasn’t to last long. The Huskies, as mentioned above, have been 2-3 in the past 5 matchups, and in desperate need of a change in fortunes.

The Musketeers are on Dan Hurley’s tail amidst big upsets happening in the Big East

Dan Hurley met the business end of a bayonet, as the Xavier Musketeers beat the Huskies in a close game at home. Once again, their star forward McNeeley was unfit to play the game. It was up to Alex Karaban and Solo Ball to pick up the slack, and Ball truly did, but the 6’8 forward disappointed.

Karaban fouled out of the game in a crucial time, with just over three minutes to go. He didn’t score a lot, only putting up 9 pts in the team’s time of need. However, the bench really stepped up for UConn.

Aidan Mahaney, a 6’3 junior, took charge in the absence of McNeeley. In such a decisive time, the guard put up 14 points (second-highest scorer on the team), 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. His performance, and Ball’s 20 points, ensured that the Huskies got the game as close as possible. And it was really close!

UConn had the ball in the last twenty seconds. They were only down by 2, thanks to Ball’s critical free throws, but the Musketeers were simply too good. Xavier forced a shot clock violation and won the game. This begs the question of whether Dan Hurley will be able to deliver on fan hopes this year. The coach has been doing really well over the last couple of seasons, but UConn is in big trouble this year. On top of that, Hurley has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

What do you think? Will UConn make the tournament? Can they three-peat? Only time will tell.