Seton Hall was on the verge of redefining a near-upset narrative, but the Huskies’ strong resilience managed to smother the heat when they brushed past them in a game that could have put them in compromising circumstances. Dan Hurley’s UConn ultimately won the game 69-64, but he was dreaded at the prospect of playing against his alma mater yet again because of the ferocity they injected into the contest.

“I am happy that these teams could play each other in the first round by tournament. I wouldn’t want to name Seton Hall’s name being drawn next to mine in the NCAA tournament this year,” said Dan Hurley, talking about the pure fear element that Seton Hall really brings into the competition.

And that statement, even though it might surprise a few, does carry credible weight.

As Seton Hall came in as projected underdogs right at the bottom of the Big East, their physical play and pressured defense have made them establish themselves as quite a contender, and they have their coach, Shaheen Holloway, to thank for that.

Holloway’s system emphasizes ball pressure, often extending defense beyond the three-point line to force turnovers and rushed shots in addition to a rugged body-to-body gameplay, making it a challenge for any team find their rhythm. Ask Rutgers how they crumbled under the fold when the Pirates raided their defensive line.

AJ Staton McCray (18 points), Adam Clark (16 points), and others came together to pull the game away from them.

UConn started the game coasting to 11-0 and then closed the first half 35-21, from where the comeback seemed a little improbable. The Huskies could have suffered a similar fate after squandering an 18-point lead 42-24, with 17:20 left to play, and were close to regretting that moment had it not been for Braylon Mullins’ heroics, who saved the day by blocking Mike Williams from making the shot.

So, with a sudden disaster avoided and another victory in the bag for the Huskies’ coach, Dan Hurley should call for celebrations, but instead, he will look at areas where he feels the team can improve.

UConn’s need for improvement in certain areas

Despite the Huskies’ victory over the only other ranked team in the Big East Conference, which left no question in the minds of the spectators as to who was the better team, it did give away some of the gaps the team needs to address before they square off against the higher-ranked teams.

When you are 17-1, these anomalies shouldn’t be a concern, but we all know that prevention is better than cure. Dan Hurley felt the same when he looked back at the game.

“We’ve got to get better at a step to the ball, fake taking a guy deep, come back to the ball, try not to catch the ball deep on the sideline, baseline,” reminisced Hurley about the game where he felt his team lacked.

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But what choice did they have against the surmounting Seton Hall pressure?

Seton Hall kept rotating players to marshal the defense to block any oncoming pass. Shaheen’s team’s precise defense made the Huskies commit silly mistakes on the court, incurring 17 turnovers.

But this isn’t the first time Huskies faced adversity.

UConn let BYU back into a blowout game in Boston and won; not only that, it flirted with danger against Providence, too, trailing most of the game and won again. Apart from top seed Arizona, no other team has been able to see a sweeter end, but still, complacency wouldn’t cut it here.

The team is lacking the killer instinct, and despite leading by 15+ points early, it is allowing its opposition to get back in range, which cannot be allowed to happen at any cost.

Despite the heavy self-introspection, Dan Hurley can now sleep in peace.

The Prudential Hall, which had become a cursed land for them, blessed them with a victory after they had lost 4 in a row at the same venue nestled at the corner of Lafayette and Mulberry. Maybe this change of tides is preluding a championship run this season, who knows?