The men’s basketball coach at UW, Dan Hurley, recently credited his wife, Andrea, as the “Jersey boss lady” for preventing Huskies players from rushing the court following Braylon Mullins’ crucial 3-pointer that clinched a 73-72 win against top-seeded Duke, earning them a spot in the Final Four.
While appearing on the “Pardon My Take” podcast, Hurley was asked about Andrea’s response during this high-stakes moment in March Madness. When Dan “Big Cat” Katz praised her, Hurley joked, “Oh, she doesn’t know anything,” laughing at how she was directing players to retreat to the bench.
“Yeah, she’s the boss. Definitely the boss lady in Jersey. And let me tell you, her language is pretty colorful,” he said. “She was really getting into it behind the warm-up. I mean, she doesn’t know much about basketball, you know?”
On a plane ride, Hurley expressed his disbelief about the team’s success, saying, “This is crazy! We’re headed to the Final Four for three out of four years. Did you ever think this would happen?” To which she replied, “I didn’t even know the Final Four was a thing until four years ago.”
The couple celebrated their 28th wedding anniversary last August.
A video posted by the UW men’s basketball team on their X account showed Andrea behind the bench, signaling for players to return. The caption relayed her enthusiasm, saying, “She immediately started gesturing to the man on the bench, look at this 😭. Team player!!”
No technical foul was called against UConn following their reactions. Freshman guard Mullins made a long-range 3-pointer with just 0.4 seconds remaining, turning around a 19-point deficit during the first half at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
UConn will face Illinois in the Final Four on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Previously, the two teams met once in the NCAA Tournament, where UW triumphed over Illinois 77-52 in the 2024 Elite Eight. In a nonconference game at Madison Square Garden last November, UConn also defeated Illinois 74-61.
