The intensity of the rivalry between St. John’s and UConn in men’s basketball is a matter of perspective. Some observers note that the two schools have alternated in dominating the Big East over recent seasons, suggesting a fierce competition. Others point to the thrilling nature of their head-to-head matchups, often decided in the final moments, as evidence of an escalating rivalry.
Adding to this narrative, both teams are highly regarded in the upcoming season, with the AP preseason poll placing St. John’s at No. 5 and UConn at No. 4, indicating they are neck-and-neck in terms of expectations. Such close rankings hint at the potential for epic showdowns on the court.
However, Rick Pitino, the seasoned coach of St. John’s, offers a more tempered view. Speaking at the Big East media day held at Madison Square Garden, Pitino emphasized that he doesn’t consider UConn a more significant rival than other formidable Big East teams like Villanova, Providence, Marquette, or Creighton.
“I don’t consider Connecticut any more of a rival than Villanova or Providence or Marquette or Creighton or any of them,” Pitino remarked. He did acknowledge the passionate UConn fan base, noting, “Their fan base makes them very special, because they travel bigger than anyone else. That being said, we’ve got great respect for them.”
But Pitino isn’t ready to deem the upcoming battles with UConn any bigger than the rest of his Big East bouts.
“I don’t consider Connecticut any more of a rival than Villanova or Providence or Marquette or Creighton or any of them,” Pitino said Tuesday during the Big East’s media day at Madison Square Garden. “I think their fan base makes them very special, because they travel bigger than anyone else. That being said, we’ve got great respect for them.”
Hurley sees it a little differently.
“There’s certainly a nastiness to when we’re gonna play St. John’s, but I don’t think it’s disrespectful,” Hurley said Tuesday. “I’m not disrespectful of Coach Pitino and who he is and what he’s accomplished, but there’s definitely an intensity and a tension between the programs.”
UConn faced little resistance during the 2023-24 season, winning the Big East’s regular-season and conference tournament titles before rolling to its second consecutive national championship.
The Huskies went 37-3 that season, including 3-0 against St. John’s.
But last season, the Johnnies unseated the Huskies as the Big East’s top dogs. St. John’s swept its two games against UConn, then claimed the Big East regular-season and conference tournament crowns.
The Red Storm went 18-2 in conference play, tying UConn’s record from the prior season for the best mark in Big East history.
“[With] where St. John’s is at now, who become your rivals? The people that are threatening you,” Hurley said. “The threats to what you’re doing. The threats to you winning your championships become your rivals in any sport.”
This season, St. John’s and UConn have a chance to be at the tops of their games simultaneously for the first time since Pitino took over before the 2023-24 campaign.
The Big East coaches voted St. John’s as the conference favorites in their preseason poll, narrowly ahead of UConn.
“[Pitino] likes Dan Hurley,” said Xavier coach Richard Pitino, who is Rick’s son. “I was just sitting there talking to him and Dan. We were all laughing. But whoever he plays … he’s gonna want to beat them. He’s very, very competitive.”
St. John’s and UConn last met in February, with the Johnnies winning, 89-75, at the Garden. It had already become clear by that point that St. John’s was the superior team, as UConn was navigating a down season by its lofty standards after losing four starters.
But perhaps even more notable than the final score was that St. John’s fans outnumbered UConn’s supporters at the Garden that day — a rarity before the Red Storm’s resurgence under Pitino.
St. John’s and UConn are set to meet again at the Garden on Feb. 6, followed by a rematch at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford on Feb. 25.
“It’s great for college basketball to have rivalries, to have programs that are both legitimately top-five, top-10 caliber,” Hurley said. “That’s the only way you can do a rivalry. You can’t do a rivalry if one team is at the top of the sport and has won six national championships since 1999 and other programs haven’t had any level of success like that.”
