UConn Huskies are gearing up for a third consecutive title this season with Coach Dan Hurley at its helm. Given that the 2024-25 team stats tie them 28th in points, 41st in rebounds, and 4th in assists per game, and they garner 3rd rank in both Associated Press and coaches polls, the chances are not bleak, but the Red Storm Head Coach isn’t convinced. His statement requires a breakdown and here we have one.

The analysis is at Locked On UConn, a UConn Insider, hosted by Mark Zanetto alongside Dan Meehen. The spotlight is on the Boomer and Gio radio appearance of Rick Pitino jabbing the Naismith Coach of the Year 2024 while stating Huskies’ presumed success in the National Championship or the Big East as a “no lock.” The host who calls it a ‘Childish’ strategy has some points to shoot. 

Here Zanetto uses the analogy of the elder sibling needling the younger one to expose the 72-year-old St. John’s Coach who tries to get Hurley through backhanded compliments.

“Rick, He’s a character, he’s a character,” Zanetto puts it saying, “You’re gonna be on the radio promoting your team and they ask you about UConn, who’s the best team in the Big East, I don’t think that the whole ‘They’re not all locked to win the Big East’, I think that makes me laugh. They’re not all locked to win the national championship because that’s really hard especially the third time in a row. But I do;t see another team that’s especially with the early Big East returns that is going to challenge UConn in the regular season.” At this point, he agrees with the difficulty of winning a third time for Hurley.

Pitino’s Johnnies have not yet made it to the NCAA tournament under his guidance. On the other hand, Hurley has pushed the Storrs program into a powerhouse position with two back-to-back title wins along with a strong current roster and an equally impressive future ahead. However, with Pitino emanating this ‘Character‘, let us see if they still hold the fire. 

St. John’s and their current potential

Red Storm who had their last NCAA tournament appearances back in 2019, and got defeated by UConn in the Big East Semi Finals last year may seem like an empty cannon. Having said that, the late entry of Coach Rick Pitino with a record of 731–303 which puts him at an efficiency of 70.7% should not be overlooked.

“I think St. John’s is a very difficult job that is getting better each day because this is not a school like Vanderbilt or Duke where the rich and famous go,” says the Coach who is proud as well optimistic about their potential this year. 

The rework on the roster with freshman like Ruben Prey the Forward, and transferred players like USC Trojans Center Vince Iwuchukwu and North Texas Guard Aaron Scott also hints at a comeback. However, their stats for this season which hovers around 4 to 7 points and rebounds hardly above 4 pose a problem against Hurley’s top-tier players like Tarris Reed Jr. and Solo Ball. This warrants a considerable improvement from the Queens team.

As Zanetto puts it, the former Kentucky Coach insinuates a possible “blood in the waters.” Regardless of that, he is not hesitant to call Huskies the “Kentucky of the East.” Should it be perceived as pseudo complements is at your hands. Now that a take on Rick Pitino’s latest hit at UConn has been analyzed what is left is to await his strategies through the playoffs.