But before he could even get off the court at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday, thetwo-time national championship coachwas booed by fans in the stands.
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"Are they booing?" Hurley said halfway through a response to a question from CBS Sports sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson. "I don't know what they're booing."
The boos, presumedly from Illinois' fans in the stadium, aren't the first directed at the Huskies coach. He's often greeted with similar gestures and jeers from opposing fan bases due to his animated and passionate behavior on the sidelines.
Indeed, cameras caught boos on the broadcast heading into the under-12 media timeout in the second half after Hurley showed his displeasure for an offensive foul against UConn forward Eric Reibe.
North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar reacts after losing to the VCU Rams in overtime of a first round game of the men's2026 NCAA Tournamentat Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)
Brendan Coyle #21 of the Siena Saints reacts after the game against the Duke Blue Devils in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC. The Duke Blue Devils defeated the Siena Saints 71-65.
(Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images)
Head coach Kelvin Sampson of the Houston Cougars shakes hands with members of the Idaho Vandals following the first round game of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)
McNeese Cowboys guard Tyshawn Archie (8) walks off the court after losing to the Vanderbilt Commodores during a first round game of the men's2026 NCAA Tournamentat Paycom Centeron March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City.
(William Purnell, Imagn Images)
Riley Saunders #13 and Andy Stefonowicz #5 of the North Dakota State Bison high five after being defeated by the Michigan State Spartans in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at KeyBank Center on March 19, 2026 in Buffalo, New York.
(Ishika Samant, Getty Images)
Wisconsin Badgersguard Braeden Carrington (0) and guard John Blackwell (25) react during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the High Point Panthers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.
(Troy Wayrynen, Imagn Images)
Thomas Dowd of the Troy Trojansreactsafter coming out of the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Okla.
(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)
Ohio State Buckeyes forward Amare Bynum (1) and Ohio State Buckeyes forward Brandon Noel (14) react after losing to Texas Christian University Horned Frogs during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)
Texas Christian University Horned Frogs forward Xavier Edmonds (24) reacts after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)
Lehigh Mountain Hawks huddle together after being defeated by the Prairie View A&M Panthers during a first four game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at University of Dayton Arena on March 18, 2026.
(Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images)
SMU Mustangs guard Boopie Miller (2) and SMU Mustangs center Jaden Toombs (10) leave the court after being defeated by the Miami (OH) RedHawks during a first four game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at University of Dayton Arena on March 18, 2026.
(Rick Osentoski, Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)
Trevon Blassingame #1 and Seth Joba #21 of the Idaho Vandals react after the defeat against the Houston Cougars in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)
1/12
March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar reacts after losing to the VCU Rams in overtime of a first round game of the men's2026 NCAA Tournamentat Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)
1/12
March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar reacts after losing to the VCU Rams in overtime of a first round game of the men's2026 NCAA Tournamentat Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)
2/12
March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
Brendan Coyle #21 of the Siena Saints reacts after the game against the Duke Blue Devils in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC. The Duke Blue Devils defeated the Siena Saints 71-65.
(Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images)
3/12
March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
Head coach Kelvin Sampson of the Houston Cougars shakes hands with members of the Idaho Vandals following the first round game of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)
4/12
March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
McNeese Cowboys guard Tyshawn Archie (8) walks off the court after losing to the Vanderbilt Commodores during a first round game of the men's2026 NCAA Tournamentat Paycom Centeron March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City.
(William Purnell, Imagn Images)
5/12
March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
Riley Saunders #13 and Andy Stefonowicz #5 of the North Dakota State Bison high five after being defeated by the Michigan State Spartans in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at KeyBank Center on March 19, 2026 in Buffalo, New York.
(Ishika Samant, Getty Images)
6/12
March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
Wisconsin Badgersguard Braeden Carrington (0) and guard John Blackwell (25) react during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the High Point Panthers at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Or.
(Troy Wayrynen, Imagn Images)
7/12
March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
Thomas Dowd of the Troy Trojansreactsafter coming out of the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Okla.
(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)
8/12
March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
Ohio State Buckeyes forward Amare Bynum (1) and Ohio State Buckeyes forward Brandon Noel (14) react after losing to Texas Christian University Horned Frogs during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)
9/12
March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
Texas Christian University Horned Frogs forward Xavier Edmonds (24) reacts after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
(Bob Donnan, Imagn Images)
10/12
March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
Lehigh Mountain Hawks huddle together after being defeated by the Prairie View A&M Panthers during a first four game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at University of Dayton Arena on March 18, 2026.
(Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images)
11/12
March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
SMU Mustangs guard Boopie Miller (2) and SMU Mustangs center Jaden Toombs (10) leave the court after being defeated by the Miami (OH) RedHawks during a first four game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at University of Dayton Arena on March 18, 2026.
(Rick Osentoski, Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)
12/12
March Sadness hits hard in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
Trevon Blassingame #1 and Seth Joba #21 of the Idaho Vandals react after the defeat against the Houston Cougars in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)
"I get much more of a bad reaction from people, I think, on social media than when I meet regular people," Hurley said Friday, April 3 at the Final Four. "Because anytime I meet regular people, they look at me and they start laughing or they start smiling. Or (say), 'You're the guy from the video. You look a little crazy, but I think you're a good egg.'"
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Here's what Hurley said of the boos he received:
"It's not who I really am, you know, as a human being. There's people that write articles about me. Some of you may be standing here. I know that there was someone in there that just wrote one about me, that they rarely come to my games. They never spend time around our program," Hurley said. "They have no idea. They take viral clips of things they see at a game, and then they attack me, either personally or my coaching style. And I think it's a joke. I think that's lazy media. They don't know who I am."
Saturday's win moved Hurley to 5-0 in the Final Four with the Huskies and 18-3 overall in the Men's NCAA Tournament.
Now Hurley will look to add his name to more March Madness records with another title on Monday, April 6.
