After his team’s 63-54 loss to Maryland on Saturday in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, UConn coach Dan Hurley was effusive in his praise for the Terps.
“Great credit to Maryland. I thought those guys, in particular offensively, they played really well first, probably 28 minutes, 30 minutes. They opened the cover of that, you know, I think they showed their experience, their experience, their quality . [Eric] Ayala, we were terrified of that confrontation today. There was simply no one who could protect him and these guys are a very experienced and well-trained team that really won the victory, “he said.
Hurley mentioned in interviews before the game that he was concerned about Ayala, and his concerns proved to be legitimate. The 2-meter-tall Maryland guard intimidated UConn’s smaller guards for layups and caused damage behind the 3-point arc on a 23-point night.
“Ayala, I mean, we were afraid of what he would be able to do against us, because we have two shipowners who are not big in size or physical. And then, since he was kind of dominating those guys, you know, Tyrese doesn’t could stand in front of him and James, you know, James has a long way to go as a defender. So he was just, we knew he was going to be a problem and he was exactly what we thought he was going to be. “
He also received high praise from Maryland playmaker Darryl Morsell, part of an effort that kept UConn star James Bouknight with 16 points from 6 out of 16 shots.
“Morsell is an excellent defender. These guys [James Bouknight was] playing against, Maryland, you know, those guys that most were protecting him today were juniors and physical veterans. And I think he was a little indecisive at times tonight and I think that, in general, we showed as a group, we showed our lack of experience at a time like this. “