New UConn coach Dan Hurley, fresh off an upset of No. 15 Syracuse in the 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, was tossed from Friday's game against Iowa after getting his second technical.
The UConn fans at the Garden didn't seem to mind. They gave him a standing ovation and chanted his name on his way off the court.
Hurley was in the locker room for the final 1 minute, 44 seconds of the Huskies' 91-72 loss to Iowa in the championship game of the tournament. After the game, Hurley said it was the first time he'd been tossed since he coached the high school team at St. Benedict's in Newark, New Jersey.
"I did not like the job I did getting my team ready for today,'' he said.
Hurley, brought in by UConn in March, led the Huskies (3-1) to their first win over a ranked team away from home since 2014 on Thursday. He brought a grittiness and intensity that had been missing from the team the past couple of years.
"I thought Connecticut played harder than we did,'' Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said after that game.
Asked how much of the team's energy came from the coach, Connecticut guard Jalen Adams said, "pretty much all of it."
"It's a perfect match. His personality connects perfectly with a lot of our personalities.''
But Friday, the Huskies were overmatched by Iowa (4-0). They had no answer for the Hawkeyes' big front line.
Luka Garza had 18 points, including two 3-pointers, and four rebounds in the first half for Iowa and finished with 22 points and seven rebounds. Tyler Cook had 26 points and eight rebounds.
Hurley said UConn is still developing as a team.
"This isn't some Disney movie," Hurley said. "It's not the Mighty Ducks or whatever. It's going to take some time."