NCAA analyst looks forward to St. John’s vs UConn’s enticing matchup

Basketball coaching legends Dan Hurley and Rick Pitino are gearing up for this coming season, and NCAA analyst Jeff Goodman has some thoughts about the two Big East teams matching up.

Goodman discussed Hurley’s UConn team and Pitino’s St. John’s squad on an episode of “The Field of 68: After Dark” posted on YouTube Thursday.

“Rick Pitino and Dan Hurley do not like one another,” Goodman said. “That’s what’s gonna make this so good, the proximity, the fact that the two fan bases now really dislike one another, and the two teams are both top five-ish teams in the country.”

Goodman reminisced on the past season, during which no one knew what to anticipate from the Red Storm. Pitino guided the team to conference regular season and tournament titles, earning St. John’s a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Hurley, on the other hand, had a disappointing season with the Huskies. After leading UConn to back-to-back national championships in 2023 and 2024, Hurley came up short of replicating that success this season. The Huskies finished third in the Big East and were a No. 8 seed in March Madness.

Goodman argues that Hurley will be eager to prove himself in the Big East, especially against Pitino.

“Dan Hurley’s gonna be even more motivated this year to kinda reclaim their prominence in the Big East,” Goodman said. “Those games are gonna be wars. They’re gonna be fun.”

How UConn and St. John’s matched up last season

As conference foes, the Huskies and Red Storm matched up twice last season, once at UConn and once at St. John’s. Pitino led his team to victory in both matchups.

Hurley hosted Pitino’s team on February 7. UConn brought back forward Liam McNeeley for that game, after the freshman was out with an ankle ailment. McNeeley led the Huskies with 18 points, although UConn committed numerous turnovers against St. John’s. The Red Storm scored 18 points off turnovers.

Pitino’s team was led by star guard RJ Luis Jr., who scored 21 points to help St. John’s extend its winning streak to 10 games. The Red Storm walked away with a 68-62 win.

UConn visited St. John’s two weeks later for a Feb. 23 matchup. This time, the Red Storm dominated. Pitino’s squad entered halftime up by 18 points, and while Hurley’s Huskies fought back to outscore St. John’s 43-39 in the second half, it wasn’t enough.

All five St. John’s starters put up double-digit points while UConn once again struggled with turnovers, recording 18. The Red Storm scored 24 points off turnovers on their way to an 89-75 win.

Hurley will be looking to avenge his two losses to Pitino last season when the Big East rivals match up next.

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alt=”Lindsey Ware” height=”72″ width=”72″>

Lindsey Ware is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over five years of experience working with publications such as The News & Observer, The Daily Tar Heel, Triangle Tribune and Cardiac Cane. She has also worked for Major League Baseball, The Holly Springs Salamanders, The Tri-City Chili Peppers, Tuffy Talk, Super Meteors Basketball, Just Good Network and Living Sport.

Lindsey has a Bachelor’s Degree in Media and Journalism from UNC Chapel Hill. Her education allowed Lindsey to gain experience in sports communication, which she honed in internships. Other than being a storyteller and sports fanatic, Lindsey is also a social media and marketing specialist.

Her favorite college team is UNC, although she grew up a N.C. State fan as both of her parents are Wolfpack alumni. Michael Jordan was a huge deal in North Carolina when Lindsey was growing up, and after a summer spent at UNC’s Sports Journalism Camp back in high school, Lindsey was set on being a Tar Heel.

Lindsey’s favorite college coach of all time is Roy Williams. During her time attending UNC Chapel Hill and writing for The Daily Tar Heel, Lindsey was lucky enough to meet and speak with Williams a few times. He was like a celebrity on UNC’s campus and was beloved for his coaching style and success with the Tar Heels, accumulating three NCAA championship titles in 18 years.

When not watching or writing about sports, Lindsey enjoys reading, trying new restaurants and coffee shops, and spending time with my friends, family and dog. She also likes to journal, watch movies and paint.

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Edited by Krutik Jain