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April 3: Bobby Hurley plans to roll out the red carpet for his brother Dan’s UConn basketball game this weekend in Arizona.
State Farm Stadium, home of the Final Four in Glendale, is about 20 miles from the state of Arizona, where Bobby trains.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Final Four field, which includes Purdue, North Carolina State and Alabama, will try to pull the rug out from under UConn.
The top-seeded Huskies will join the first team since Florida in 2007 to repeat their national championship title, something Bobby Hurley also did as an All-American point guard for Duke in 1992.
The strain will be on UConn, the favorite to win it all, and coach Dan Hurley.
“Dan has tunnel vision,” Bobby said Wednesday. “There will be many other people who will make it. There will be media and a lot of buzz around this event. But I think he stays in the moment and focuses on who he is. “important, and that prepares his team to play this game. Weekend.
“Once this game starts, he’ll be fit to play. That’s what I know about him. He’s amazing in his preparation and in the preparation of his team. I spoke with him and look forward to connecting with him and seeing him. .
“We are the host school, so you have carte blanche to use all the amenities here. Red carpet remedy here at Arizona State for my brother. “
The Huskies didn’t play like they felt pressure.
They navigated the NCAA tournament, winning 4 games on an average of 27. 8 points to set up a national semifinal with Alabama on Saturday (8:49 p. m. ) at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. They have won a record 10 consecutive double-digit tournament games since last season. .
Bobby Hurley sees some similarities between Duke’s elite in the playoffs and what UConn has done so far.
“Once the playoff tournament happens, you can take it to another level,” Bobby said. “I think that’s what we’ve been able to do in my second year in a row. We knew what was coming. That was our purpose when we started our season. . . When you can feel how tight it is, you step up and take it to another level.
“And I think that’s what I’ve noticed in most of the games I’ve watched with UConn in this NCAA tournament. . . With my two championships, there were games that we might have lost in each of the Ones and we were able to (win), either because (Christian) Laettner made a game-winning shot or made a couple of tiebreaks down the stretch to beat UNLV in the Final Four. that we had to win.
“And UConn has been so dominant that they haven’t even had that in two years. It’s frightening how smart they’ve become. Hopefully Dan can stay here for the next few days. “
As Duke returned to the center of its 1991 national champion team for tryouts, UConn’s roster underwent significant adjustments from last season. Starters Andre Jackson, Jordan Hawkins and Adama Sanogo have joined the pro ranks and the more sensible reserves, Nahiem Alleyne and Joey Calcaterra, are gone.
Dan Hurley added a top-five recruiting elegance that included handsome freshman Stephon Castle and moved graduate Cam Spencer to his championship core.
The Huskies never missed a beat. They ruled their festival with a record 35 wins and a spot in the Final Four. They’ve lost just one game since Dec. 20.
Bobby gave his brother an A on the construction list.
“Losing the players that he lost in the draft and then being able to access the (transfer) portal and the best players in the school and rebuild this team so temporarily and put them in the position that they’re in now, I think it’s a testament to his talent as a coach, the commitment and the judgment of UConn basketball,” Bobby said.
“It’s been special. Seeing what they did against Illinois (in the Elite Eight) in that stretch (30-0), I’m not sure I’ve ever noticed anything like that in a game of this magnitude. Unless, perhaps, for me, in my freshman year at Duke, when we got the hit through UNLV. But I don’t need to communicate too much about that.
After going 30 to UNLV in the name game in 1990, Duke bounced back to win back-to-back national championships, beating Michigan, 71-51, in 1992 to repeat.
Former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski spoke Tuesday about Dan Hurley’s season on his SiriusXM show, Basketball and Beyond with Coach K.
“I think what Danny did was he made an incredible resolution about how he was going to pull off the win,” Krzyzewski said. “Basically, he put the win in his rearview mirror and said, ‘We did it. We’re not advocating for that. We’re aiming for some other national title. “And they weren’t going to be chased away. They were the hunters. They continued to be the hunters and, man, they hunted.
“There is confidence in their program and an artistic ethic that is unmatched. And they deserve it. “
It’s a bet that Bobby will support UConn to match Duke’s feat this weekend, but he has a few other key interests in the Final Four.
North Carolina State Guard DJ Horne played for him at Arizona State for two seasons before being traded. Alabama head coach Nate Oats was an assistant on Bobby’s team at Buffalo from 2013 to 2015.
The Hurley brothers, who trained together in Wagner and Rhode Island, are friends of Oats.
There’s a lot of subplots for me and with the Final Four here in Phoenix,” Bobby said. “It adds even more. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to train with my brother for 3 years, to train with Nate Oats for two years, to have had DJ Horne in my life for two years, and for what he did for me in Arizona. State, which is helping us get to an NCAA tournament. . .
“I’m satisfied for everyone who is in this moment and who has the possibility of being on that stage. These are all other people who are very close to my heart. “
g. keefe@theday. com