Dan Hurley deserved a technical following contact with official

During the insanity following Braylon Mullins’ last-second three-pointer that gave UConn a one-point lead over Duke with 0. 4 seconds left, something went unnoticed: Huskies’ coach Dan Hurley stepping up to a referee and lightly head-butting him. I can't imagine another coach not getting a technical here.

https://t. co/en0FeGqsso — Scott Dochterman (@ScottDochterman) March 30, 2026 Hurley has a reputation as being a wild-card, so this action isn’t exactly out of his wheelhouse, but considering everything going on, the question is this: Did this warrant a technical foul? Duke broadcasters were already arguing that a technical foul should have been called on UConn player Malachi Smith, who ran to halfcourt to celebrate with Mullins and their teammates following the shot despite the game still being played.

We’ve seen a technical foul called for just that, but amid the emotions, it is understandable that a player would do what Smith did. What Hurley did was a grown adult making contact with an official for no reason whatsoever. The UConn coach is known to push referees to the limit, but this action should have resulted in a technical foul and possibly cost his team the game.

Let’s see if there are any repercussions coming forward for Hurley as the Huskies head to the Final Four. This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: Dan Hurley deserved a technical following contact with official