Liam McNeeley put UConn on his back. The 6-foot-7 freshman from Richardson, Texas poured in 38 points along with 10 rebounds as unranked UConn overcame a 14-point deficit late in the first half to end No. 24 Creighton’s nine-game winning streak with a 70-66 victory on Tuesday night. It was UConn’s first-ever win in Omaha, Neb.

Hurley had never beaten Creighton in Omaha before Tuesday, so this one meant even more for him and the UConn team. The win also avenges a Jan. 18 loss to Creighton in Storrs. Hurley, known for being animated, was fired up after a thrilling second-half comeback and a massive win on the road in an up-and-down season.

The two-time defending national champion UConn Huskies fell out of the AP Top 25 on Monday, ending a streak of 53 consecutive weeks in the poll. But Dan Hurley says it doesn’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things -- and he’ll likely use it as a another slight to motivate his team.