Dan Hurley has never been short on confidence. The UConn coach once called himself the best in the country—a claim that sounded a little hollow on Friday night. No. 12 St. John’s stormed back from an early deficit to stun No. 19 UConn with a 68-62 upset at Gampel Pavilion. As the final buzzer sounded, national reporters were quick to remind Hurley of his words. And one, in particular, didn’t hold back.

According to a post on X by Jeff Goodman, the veteran reporter didn’t hold back after the game: “Remember when Dan Hurley proclaimed himself the best coach in the country? Well, Rick Pitino had a thing or two to say about that tonight. St. John’s 68, UConn 62. At Gampel.”

It was a direct shot at Hurley, whose confidence in his coaching ability had been a talking point for seasons. But after UConn let a double-digit lead slip away, it was hard to argue against Goodman’s critique. Pitino and St. John’s outcoached, outplayed, and ultimately outlasted Hurley’s Huskies, handing them a loss that felt heavier than the final score indicated.

Despite the disappointment, Hurley was quick to find a silver lining in the defeat. “If you had told me, we’d out-rebound those guys by 10, I would have said, ‘What are you on? What are you drinking or what are you d—ging?’” Hurley said, trying to highlight his team’s dominance on the glass.

Statistically, UConn did win the rebounding battle 43-33, with Tarris Reed Jr. pulling down 15 boards. But that edge did little to change the outcome, as the Huskies struggled with turnovers, giving away 22 possessions—allowing St. John’s to score 18 points off those mistakes.

The silver lining? Hurley clings to positives despite costly defeat

The Huskies had built a commanding 21-8 lead early in the game, only to see it evaporate as St. John’s clawed back. RJ Luis Jr. led the charge for the Red Storm, scoring 21 points, including six in the final minutes to seal the win. Kadary Richmond added 13 points—all in the second half—while Simeon Wilcher chipped in 12.

The game turned in the second half when UConn, despite getting a boost from Liam McNeeley’s 18 points, simply couldn’t hold on. With 11:16 left, McNeeley who came back from an ankle sprain recently helped push the Huskies up by six, but St. John’s responded with back-to-back buckets from Luis and Richmond, regaining control.

The defining moment came with UConn leading by four—Richmond scored twice in a row, sparking a 6-0 run that flipped the game in St. John’s favor. From there, the Red Storm never looked back, scoring 12 straight points and locking down the Huskies defensively.

For UConn, the loss raised serious questions about their consistency. Ball and Stewart started hot, combining for 22 first-half points, but went scoreless after the break. Meanwhile, St. John’s overcame an 11-shot cold spell in the second half and still found a way to win. The Red Storm’s ability to capitalize on UConn’s mistakes proved decisive—out of 20 points scored off turnovers, 18 belonged to St. John’s.

But Hurley is continuing to keep hopes high. “I’m optimistic. These last two matchups have just been bad matchups for us,” he says. The Huskies will have a chance to bounce back against Creighton on Tuesday, but the lesson from this loss is clear: self-proclaimed greatness means nothing if you can’t back it up when it matters most.