Officiating seems to be a hot topic of discussion these days. While some head coaches agree with the fairness of the calls, most don’t consider them the right judgement. One of the latter is UConn’s back-to-back National champion HC Dan Hurley. If you have followed the Huskies even for a few games, you would see a pattern on the sidelines– Dan Hurley passionately discussing a call or a no call with a referee. And one his beliefs? Big East gets it the worst.

He did not mince his words after UConn’s 71-62 loss at the hands of the Creighton Blue Jays this Friday night that sent them out of the Big East Championship contention. Although he agreed that his team, that has not been the best at defense, does need to work on it, but he also poked the officiating bubble. Here is what he said in the post-game press conference.

“We’re not a very physical team and I think that the way that the Big East games get officiated, both regular season and the Big East tournament, are officiated way differently than games will be officiated in the NCAA tournament. If you don’t call holding or an off ball, if you don’t allow people to move around, referees will not advance to the next round in the tournament if they don’t call fouls. So, it is less physical, especially in the early rounds of the tournament. They tend to let you play a little bit more as it goes on.”

Clearly, the Big East officiating’s rugged style fuels Hurley’s frustration, who believes it misaligns with the freer-flowing NCAA tournament officiating. However, when the thoughts were asked for the same with another Big East coach, Rick Pitino, the freshly crowned Big East champion, the reasonings were contrastingly different.

The reporter asked, “Both Coach Smart and Coach Hurley yesterday commented on sort of the officiating differences in the Big East vs the NCAA tournament and the style of play… They talked about the physicality that’s allowed in the Big East vs the NCAA tournament. Do you buy that?”

Even before the reporter could complete his question, Pitino quickly responded, “Well, that’s been going on since I coached at Providence, when John Thompson was roaming the sidelines. Everybody said the Big East was a much more physical league. Tonight, those officials did a great job… It is physical, but you have to adjust come tournament time. You have to adjust by moving your feet more. But that’s been since 1987 when I was a coach, they said that about Big East.”

Dan Hurley was not alone in cementing the Big East’s officiating and playing style is way more physical than the approaching March Madness. After his loss to Pitino earlier this month, Marquette’s HC Shaka Smart too had some opinions. “Toughness is a price of admission to even have a chance to win. Teams are fighting, teams are battling, teams are physical. The officials are letting a lot of things go as they have all year. They’re not gonna change in a Big East tournament.”

If disagreeing with Hurley on the stance of officiating was not enough, Pitino even went ahead to take a light-hearted jibe at the UConn HC, “But I think Connecticut did an awfully good job of adjusting in the last two years, don’t you think? Of adjusting to the officiating? I know Danny isn’t very happy with the officials, especially in the tournament.”

Dan Hurley’s UConn likely serves as the blueprint for any Big East team aiming to adjust their game in the tournament. Having won the championship the last two years, they’re going for a three-peat this season. Last year, they were heavy favorites to win the championship despite having stellar standouts like Zach Edey with Purdue and more. But before that, they had to make their ways work and make an appearance in the March Madness after a 7-year hiatus.

Sure, Dan would continue to be his fiery self on the sidelines, asking to get a favorable call out of the referees, but the Storrs program has certainly come a long way in adjusting. But will the head coach also adjust a little? He is optimistic, but with a huge asterisk sign at the end.

“There will be a greater awareness moving forward, not saying something egotistical like that, but I’m not going to back off the way that I interact with officials or coach with emotion and intensity and energy that my team reflects,” he said. “I’m not going to change anything about that. I’m just going to hope to avoid something stupid like that,” Hurley told Mike Anthony of CT Insider in early February after the Butler incident where he told referee Nathan Ferrell as he disengaged with him, “Don’t turn your back on me! I’m the best coach in the f—— sport!”

Pitino knows more than anyone about the physicality of the conference, having coached Providence from 1985-87. During that time, he led the program to a Final Four berth before moving on to the New York Knicks. In his long successful career as an NCAA head coach, the 72-year-old head coach with a success rate of 0.746, has amassed two National Championships, appeared in 7 regional Final Fours, won 3 Big East regular seasons and 4 Big East Tournament championships. Indeed, the Hall of Famer knows what the level of physicality and playing style the Big East has to offer.

That said, St. John’s has had a tournament to remember, winning their first Big East tournament since 2000. Let’s take a look at their impressive run as Rick Pitino looks to create more history with the Red Storm.

Rick Pitino and Co. script history

The Johnnies clinched their fourth Big East tournament title, marking a historic return to the championship game after 25 years since their 2000 triumph under Mike Jarvis. A new era of excitement is clearly unfolding at St. John’s!

They secured the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, marking their first trip since 2019. This achievement made 72-year-old Hall of Famer Rick Pitino the first coach to lead six schools to the Big Dance. Pitino also made history as the first coach to win the Big East tournament with two different schools.

Richmond, Ejiofor, and Luis all delivered unforgettable performances in the Big East Tournament. Richmond posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds in the final, making his presence felt in the paint. Ejiofor erupted with 33 points and 7 rebounds in the semifinal, a performance that matched the most points in a Big East semifinal since Kemba Walker’s 2011 run. He also added 20 points in the championship game against Creighton.

But it was RJ Luis who truly stole the spotlight in the final. The Big East MVP scored 27 of his 29 points in the second half, leading St. John’s to their first Big East championship in 25 years. With the stakes now higher than ever, Rick Pitino will be aiming for his 8th Final Four and striving to bring the program its first-ever championship.

As NCAA officials brace for March Madness, St. John’s readiness and UConn’s pedigree suggest fewer officiating controversies ahead—perhaps a relief after the Big East spotlight. With St. John’s automatic bid secured and UConn likely earning a high at-large seed, NCAA refs can hope the focus shifts to basketball rather than whistles—though Pitino and Hurley’s rivalry ensures the drama won’t fade.