There he was Tuesday night, responding to a brief lapse from his Connecticut Huskies, in a 76-69 exhibition win over Michigan State that UConn led wire to wire — giving his players hell, strong words punctuated by glares, then more words with fingers in faces, then more glares.
Absolutely unhinged behavior from a public employee whose salary far outweighs his perspective. The sign of a great leader, unwilling to let a scoreboard gloss over even an instance of mediocrity and destined to return to the top of the sport in short order.
Take your pick on Dan Hurley, or settle in somewhere between those extremes, but let’s all agree: Hurley is the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season’s most interesting person.
Dan Hurley crashing out during an exhibition game 🤣
(h/t @DannyBigMeech)
pic.twitter.com/qDXztQRFht
— Overtime (@overtime) October 29, 2025
Maybe this is a bit too obvious or easy, given that Hurley is perpetually one of the most interesting people in American sports. However, the circumstance is special. He has a team that appears complete enough to follow up a miserable, outburst-filled 2024-25 campaign with a championship. That would give him three, putting him in an exclusive group with John Wooden, Mike Krzyzewski, Adolph Rupp, Roy Williams, Bob Knight and former UConn coach Jim Calhoun.
Of those coaches, only Wooden and Rupp pulled off three in four years. Another title would give UConn seven, breaking a tie with North Carolina and leaving this program — which was a non-factor before Calhoun got to work in the late 1980s — behind only UCLA and Kentucky.
On the other hand, if things don’t go well, we’ll all be staring in anticipation of the figurative car crash. As Hurley revealed in his recent book written with The Athletic’s Ian O’Connor, he was serious enough about hanging it up after last season that he had talks with Fox Sports about being a TV analyst. A year earlier, the Los Angeles Lakers tried to steal him away.
Through it all, opposing fans across the country have a consensus No. 1 when it comes to punchable faces. Some of Hurley’s antics can’t be excused. Yet he’s aware of that, and of himself, and he’s more raw and honest than most public figures. It’s all very interesting.
Nate Ament, Tennessee freshman forward
These high-profile exhibitions are great and all, but they can rob newcomers of some of their mystique before the games count. Ament, a consensus top-five prospect in the Class of 2025, took a bit of a humbling in the Vols’ 83-76 home exhibition loss to Duke — and he still ended up with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He’s the most celebrated Tennessee men’s basketball recruit ever (we didn’t have 247Sports Composite rankings in 1974 when Bernard King arrived). And though Zakai Zeigler’s departure leaves a gaping hole for Rick Barnes’ program, Ament headlines a roster with enough talent to make another credible run at the program’s first Final Four.
Charlie Baker, NCAA president; Greg Sankey, SEC commissioner; Tony Petitti, Big Ten commissioner
It’s the necktie section of the list and an opportunity to point angrily at Baker and Sankey for their public roles in the seemingly inevitable expansion of a tournament that needs absolutely no expansion. Baker recently said, “It bummed me out” to see some teams he deemed worthy left out of the field. What an inspiring case to mangle something that’s damn near perfect. Petitti is guilty primarily by association here, though he presumably has a plan for a 280-team tourney. All will have a hand in the future, and right now, Sankey’s trying to hold off Baker on letting college athletes bet on pro sports.
Cameron Boozer, Duke freshman forward
The unknown is interesting, that’s how it is in sports — and especially in college basketball, where one player can transform a program. Boozer won’t do that. His dad, Carlos, a 2001 national champion at Duke, didn’t either. However, Cameron does give Duke one of the best freshmen and players overall in the sport, following Cooper Flagg. He may not be quite that level of difference-maker, but in the aforementioned exhibition against a stingy Tennessee defense? Try 24 points, 23 rebounds and six assists.
Clock operators
They’re done grating on your nerves and forcing you to figure out what alternative channel your team’s game will air on while the final 19 seconds of the game on ESPN takes 19 minutes to complete. You’re going to like them a lot more, now that the NCAA has instituted a challenge system to eliminate the late-game reviews that got way out of control. This is major. Kudos to the SEC — specifically associate commissioner Garth Glissman — for driving this change. A nice postscript after the league had the best season a men’s basketball conference has ever enjoyed.
Bubba Cunningham, North Carolina athletic director
Cunningham won’t chair the NCAA Selection Committee this season — that rotates to Sun Belt commissioner Keith Gill. So if North Carolina squeaks in under dubious circumstances, it’ll be on Gill to explain why. There’s a break for Cunningham. It probably won’t feel like one, though, because that means UNC coach Hubert Davis isn’t getting it done like a North Carolina coach should be. As if the whole football thing weren’t enough on the nerves in Chapel Hill.
AJ Dybantsa, BYU freshman forward
Three of the first nine on the list are incoming freshmen, and there’s one more to come. Dybantsa again makes BYU a must-see team, and he is a reminder of how serious Kevin Young’s program is about investing in its roster (even if BYU doesn’t like people talking about that). He’s a contender to be the No. 1 pick in the next NBA Draft, a 6-foot-9 slasher who joins Richie Saunders and Robert Wright III to give the Cougars a lethal trio.
BYU Freshman AJ Dybantsa against UNC tonight:
18 PTS | 6-13 FG | 8 REB | 3 BLK pic.twitter.com/cyEwxYUe6Q
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) October 25, 2025
Dennis Gates, Missouri coach
Sports fans in Missouri of a certain age remember former Kansas City Royals ace Bret Saberhagen having monster seasons in odd-numbered years and letdowns in even-numbered years. Gates is on that pattern, albeit in just three seasons at Mizzou — 25-10 and 22-12 seasons sandwiched around an 8-24 stinker. However, the 2025-26 season should end with the Tigers back in the NCAA Tournament, led by Mark Mitchell and Anthony Robinson II. The next challenge is the program’s first trip to the second weekend since 2009 under Mike Anderson.
Tyon Grant-Foster, Gonzaga senior forward
Gonzaga, and the sport, got better this week when a Spokane County, Wash., judge granted Grant-Foster a preliminary injunction that will allow him to play for the Zags this season. The NCAA ruled him ineligible earlier this month. The 25-year-old, a freshman in 2018, starred for Grand Canyon the last two seasons after a journey that included junior college, stops at Kansas and DePaul, and multiple heart surgeries that sidelined him for nearly two years.
Tom Izzo, Michigan State coach; Matt Painter, Purdue coach; Kelvin Sampson, Houston coach
NBA G League/Summer League players being allowed to play college basketball infuriated Izzo. His resulting rant earned applause from his peers, and then Painter and Sampson followed up with bangers of their own. However, can they keep the conversation going and get more than social media likes from their colleagues? If there’s going to be solidarity and meaningful problem-solving in this embattled profession, it starts with these three.
“To me, it’s ridiculous. To me, it’s embarrassing.”
Tom Izzo’s thoughts on Louisville signing a player with multiple years of G League experience.
Question via @chrissolari @wilxTV https://t.co/0ywBGQKouE pic.twitter.com/rLIOpeCjdF
— Ben Shockley (@BenShockley_) October 22, 2025
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan senior forward
From Puerto Rico to Arizona Western to UAB to Ann Arbor — to the NBA after what should be a spectacular season with the Wolverines. That’s Lendeborg’s path. It’s a blessing to the basketball-watching public that he’s going to spend a season playing for Dusty May, rather than earning minutes on some pro team’s bench. Lendeborg, Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. give Michigan the most dynamic frontcourt in the game.
Ben McCollum, Iowa coach
When’s the last time Iowa had a genuinely great coach? They’ve had some good ones. Tom Davis had some great teams. However, McCollum might eventually bring back memories of the guy who was coaching the Hawkeyes when he was born in Iowa City in 1981 — Lute Olson.
Milan Momcilovic, Iowa State junior forward
With Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert moving on, the 6-8 Momcilovic is in line to take over a starring role for the Cyclones. A hand injury hampered his sophomore season, but he was still a dazzling all-around performer when he got it rolling.
Steven Pearl, Auburn coach; Bruce Pearl, TNT analyst
Bruce will be entertaining on TV, of that there’s little question. His personality fills any room (stick to sports, Bruce). Steven has been a big part of Auburn’s success and is prepared for this opportunity; no question about that, either. But following a legend? As the legend’s son? It’s daunting.
Darryn Peterson, Kansas freshman guard
Dybantsa is a contender to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but Peterson is the favorite. He’s an absurd talent — at the risk of talking too much about exhibition games, witness the 26 points with six triples and five steals he collected at the expense of touted Louisville freshman Mikel Brown Jr. He’s electric like few Bill Self has had, and that’s saying something.
Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky sophomore forward
“When” will be the constant question around Kentucky this season as everyone waits to see the Arizona State transfer back on the court after tearing an ACL in February. Mark Pope has made it clear that the question is not “if” and what a lift he’ll be for a team with realistic national title designs.
Takayo Siddle, UNC Wilmington coach
Consistent winning — 99-37 in the past four seasons — finally yielded an NCAA Tournament bid last season, and now Siddle is one of the top mid-major coaches to watch as high-major openings materialize. Bucky Ball has taken over at Texas A&M. Who’s getting the pressing, up-tempo Siddle Sizzle?
Joseph Tugler, Houston senior forward
You know what’s interesting? Defense. It’s half the game, it’s the leading reason Sampson and the Cougars are on a dominant run and might finally win the whole thing this season, and it is played at an extraordinary level by the man they call “JoJo.” He’s 6-8 and plays 7-1.
Dick Vitale, ESPN color commentator
He’s crushing cancer, both in his personal battles with it and in the more than $100 million he has raised for pediatric cancer research. Now, at 86, he told The Athletic he plans to be on the call for ESPN’s “quality games” this season. First up: Tuesday’s first annual Dick Vitale Invitational between Duke and Texas. The sport can’t honor him enough.
Will Wade, NC State coach
The banished payer of players is back in the big leagues, and everyone is paying players. However, Wade got some things done right away with that NC State roster, and he brings swagger to a program that hasn’t had much to cheer about in the past decade, save for one improbable NCAA run. Wade’s Wolfpack will be watched.
