The University of Connecticut Huskies basketball had the misfortune of facing the Marquette Golden Eagles on National Marquette Day but their coach Dan Hurley is ready.
The two Big East team face off on February 1 at Fiserv Forum where alumni and fans are expected to flock on the biggest day of the university. The last time the Golden Eagles lost during this event was in 2018.
Marquette has been on a roll and are still at the top of the Big East standings.
Hurley is no stranger to a hostile environment but for him, Marquette is a different one. To him, the Golden Eagles crowd can be rowdy when they visit them on Saturday but it won’t be out of line.
“There are some other fan bases and programs that I don’t mind him (bleep)-talking them,” Hurley said as quoted by reporter David Borges.
“But, I didn’t like him doing it near their bench, to their fans. Because these people here … it’s a classy program, it’s a championship program.”
He ended his words about the Marquette Golden Eagles fanbase by calling them a classy program.
“Places like Marquette, it’s just going to be an awesome crowd, incredibly hard to win there. But it’s not going to go over the line and become classless from that standpoint.”
Dan Hurley on key player’s availability vs Marquette Golden Eagles
To be able to silence the crowd and defeat a higher ranked Marquette, Hurley will need his best men to be available.
Liam McNeeley got injured on January 1 and have missed their games since then. Will he be able to play against the Big East no. 1 team?
Hurley said he is going to be a game-time decision.
“You know he was almost full practice,” he told reporters on Friday.
“He went live, we’ll talk to him later tonight, see how he feels in the morning, go through shoot around, and the day we’ve all been waiting for, the dreaded game game-time decision. Game-day decision.”
It will be huge on Shaka Smart’s game plan if ever McNeeley plays as the Huskies stand out averages 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists.
For more great Wisconsin sports content
Follow us @WiSportsHeroics for the latest and trending news about Packers, Brewers, Bucks, Marquette, and the rest of Wisconsin Sports. Stay updated by reading more of our Wisconsin Sports articles by clicking here and college basketball by clicking here!
