UConn head coach Dan Hurley opens up about harsh reality of NCAA Tournament: "The Big East doesn’t get enough respect"

UConn Huskies coach Dan Hurley voiced his frustration over the lack of respect given by NCAA experts and media networks on the Big East Conference. He said that "it does not get enough respect" and national attention for the excellent matches the teams play every game.

In response to a question from NJ Advance Media, Hurley said he believes the NCAA is pushing the Big East aside in favor of other conferences.

"The Big East in general, [whether it’s] the lack of Power-5 football or what have you, the Big East doesn’t get enough respect, enough attention for the great games and we should have way more teams in this NCAA Tournament because the league is as good as any league in the country," he said.

Three of the last seven NCAA championship teams have come from the Big East, and UConn is attempting to become the first team since the 2006-07 Florida Gators to gain back-to-back titles.

ESPN college basketball analyst Joseph Lunardi listed four Big East teams - UConn, No. 4 Marquette, No. 17 Creighton, and Butler - as top contenders for the NCAA Tournament wars that will begin next month.

Four others - Seton Hall, St. John's, Villanova, and Providence - were placed either in the “First Four Out” or “Next Four Out”.

Hurley insisted that the conference games that his team played were tougher than the non-conference outings they had.

"I don’t know the ins and outs of everyone’s resume, but I’ll say this, those games are tougher game for us than anything we played in the non-conference, with the exception of the road game at Kansas, and we played some really good non-conference games,” the UConn coach said.

Dan Hurley speaks with the media.

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Dan Hurley guiding UConn to another March Madness stint

Being in the title game last year, Hurley recognizes the significance of the upcoming matches for the Huskies.

The 51-year-old said that the team knows what's at stake when the Big East Tournament and March Madness approaches.

He noted that they are accustomed to playing under these circumstances due to the constant pressure and the storied legacy of the squad.

“You’ve got to be in championship mode every time we step on the court because we are approaching the time of year with the regular season, with the Big East Tournament, with March Madness, where it’s the ultimate in pressure moments, so everyone knows what’s at stake," Hurley said.

UConn will next play on Wednesday against De Paul and face No. 4 Marquette on Saturday.