Dan Hurley vs Rick Pitinio Rivalry: What’s Happening in the Big East?

The UConn Huskies, under the leadership of Dan Hurley, are potentially planning a visit to Queens in the upcoming season. St. John’s Coach Rick Pitino recently announced that their matchup with the 2023 NCAA winners will occur at Carnesecca Arena on campus rather than at Madison Square Garden. UConn hasn’t played at St. John’s on campus since January 2, 1990, when Lou Carnesecca faced off against Jim Calhoun, who was in his fourth year at UConn at the time, in a game held at what was then called Alumni Hall.

The rivalry between Hurley and Pitino is also growing. During the first round of the NCAA Tournament in March, UConn initially trailed Pitino’s Iona team at halftime but managed to rally and secure a double-digit victory, winning the program’s sixth championship.

The Beef of Dan Hurley vs Rick Pitinio re-ignites old fumes

The long-standing rivalry between St. John’s and Connecticut has been dormant for several years. However, it has recently gained momentum, with assertive coaches Rick Pitino and Dan Hurley at the center of it all. The location of an upcoming game has been the subject of passive-aggressive exchanges between both camps over the past few days.

UConn emerged victorious over St. John’s in their last encounter, which took place in Hartford a week ago. Pitino made headlines when he announced his intention to play UConn at Carnesecca Arena next year, citing the many venues St. John’s had played at this year.

One of the reasons Pitino chose Carnesecca Arena could be UConn’s ability to consistently attract large crowds to Madison Square Garden. This season, the Huskies have won all three non-conference games against Indiana, Texas, and North Carolina at the Garden.

Interestingly, St. John’s may not have the final say on where they play UConn next season. According to Big East rules, if a school schedules more than two games at a public arena, the commissioner may require the two most prominent home games to be played at a public arena.

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Where has it all begun?

There have been reports stating that Hurley’s behavior on the sidelines during Conn’s recent victory was deemed unacceptable by Pitino and St. John’s. Another reason could be that, whenever the Huskies face St. John’s, a large number of Huskies supporters flood the Garden.

In a sold-out match at the XL Center, the No. 5 UConn men’s basketball team defeated St. John’s by a score of 69-65. The match was highly competitive, with ten lead changes and six ties before UConn pulled off their closest victory of the season, winning by eight points in the final minutes.

Samson Johnson scored a career-high 16 points and four rebounds in his first start of the season, while Tristen Newton recorded nine rebounds and six assists. Cam Spencer scored 15 points, helping Connecticut clinch the win.

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