Despite a subpar performance at this year’s Maui Invitational, the UConn Huskies need to learn how to defend without fouling, and head coach Dan Hurley knows it.

In the postgame press conference following UConn’s 73-72 loss to Colorado on Tuesday in Lahaina, Hurley acknowledged UConn’s defensive issues.

“We were bad defensively here,” Hurley said. “The foul era also took its toll.”

“Our defense was just terrible. Just so horrible out here.”

“We couldn’t afford for Hassan (Diarra) and Alex (Karaban) to get into foul trouble in the first half. They put us in a very compromised position by having to sit out the entire first half.”

“Looking at the first half, I was really impressed with how we played. At halftime, I felt like we were going to do what we do at UConn, which is… get to double digits and then rally in this game.”

That never happened for the Huskies, as the Colorado Buffaloes grew more confident as the second half wore on. Six-foot-two senior center Elijah Malone was great down the stretch for Colorado. Malone used a confident, deft post attack to pick apart the Huskies’ interior defense, especially as both Tarris Reed Jr. and Samson Johnson struggled with foul trouble throughout the game.

His third foul came seconds into the second half on a somewhat mysterious decision by Johnson.

But the Huskies need to look beyond the officiating and look in the mirror. For example, if UConn wants to be a great team this season, their habit of fouling three-point shooters needs to be eliminated.

There’s something fishy going on at UConn and the refs in Maui, but ultimately the consensus is that the Huskies didn’t play well.

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