TNT's coverage of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament has received mixed reviews.
Fans have been critical of Nate Burleson's studio coverage. Others have pointed out that analysts like Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith really don't know that much about the college game. Case, in point: Barkley picked Illinois to beat UConn in a game he didn't think would be close.
“I love Illinois in this game,” Barkley said. “I think their size is gonna bother Connecticut. And I’ll be honest with you- I don’t think it’s going to be a close game. I think Illinois is going to beat ’em pretty good. I do. You saw the flaws… Reed is going to be a problem, but I think that size is going to really bother him. Because the way Connecticut plays, they play inside-out. Illinois does not have to double him. They can use all those big bodies on him, and I wear him down, in my opinion. But I do. I love Illinois. I don’t think it’s going to be close.”
Unsurprisingly, Hurley took issue with TNT's coverage.
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UConn, of course, handled Illinois with relative ease, nearly leading wire-to-wire, winning 71-62.
Following the game, Hurley spoke out.
Hurley calls out TNT's NCAA Tournament coverage
Hurley threw some very clear shade at TNT's coverage.
“I just couldn’t be more proud of my guys and, you know, how hard they fought when most people probably didn’t think we were going to win the game, or at least a little bit of what I saw on TV today, you know, TNT and some of the different prognostications,” Hurley said. “It’s great to win the game, and I had to throw some shade.”
Will he be picked against agin on Monday night? Based on how Michigan is playing...probably.
It's more fuel to the fire for Hurley.
