Dan Hurley is already planning Sunday’s fight. He just needs everyone to survive Friday first.
The two-time national champion UConn head coach made his plea publicly this week: ask rival fans of the Connecticut Huskies and St. John’s Red Storm to shelve years of bitter Big East hatred for one night in the Sweet 16. Root for each other against Michigan State and Duke, and then let the gloves come off.
A Rivalry That Needs a Stage
“It will be a live building,” Hurley said. “It’s probably a little bit early, but obviously, I think we’ve got to support each other. It’s pretty brutal on Twitter, I think, and socials between our fan bases, but I think we have to try to come together Friday night against our opponent so we can have a bloodbath on Sunday.”
The East Regional in Washington, D.C., sets up the most compelling possible bracket scenario for college basketball fans: UConn against Tom Izzo’s Michigan State on Friday, St. John’s against No. 1 seed Duke on the other side. Win both and Sunday becomes a Big East Elite-Eight brawl for a Final Four berth.
St. John’s and Rick Pitino face the steeper climb. Duke is a 6.5-point favorite over the fifth-seeded Red Storm, while UConn is a slight 1.5-point favorite over Michigan State, per BetMGM. The lines put both Big East teams as underdogs or coin-flip situations, which makes Hurley’s request equal parts strategic and theatrical.
MARCH MADNESS: Fill In Your Bracket Now!
He is not wrong about the bad blood. St. John’s won two of three meetings against UConn in the regular season, including a 20-point demolition in the Big East Tournament title game. UConn opened the year 22-1 before stumbling to a 7-4 close. The rivalry has been real and loud all season.
Hurley barely disguised his belief that the bracket did both Big East programs a disservice by landing them in the same region.
“I guess it stinks a little bit that they threw us both in the same region,” he said. “It feels like the combination of St. John’s being under-seeded as well as us both being in the same region…” He caught himself before finishing that thought publicly.
UConn Has the Firepower to Get There
The Huskies reached their 17th Sweet 16 on the shoulders of senior Alex Karaban, who scored a career-high 27 points in a second-round win over UCLA. Karaban is playing his entire college career at UConn, a rarity in the transfer-portal era, and a third national title would place him among the most decorated players in program history.
“I think he can just take us wherever we need to go,” UConn guard Braylon Mullins said. “He holds the standard with this program.”
Tarris Reed Jr. delivered one of the tournament’s most outrageous stat lines in the opener against Furman: 31 points and 27 rebounds, a combined total not seen in the NCAA Tournament in nearly six decades. Silas Demary Jr., a first-team All-Big East selection, returned from an ankle injury against UCLA and played 22 minutes. Jaylin Stewart remains sidelined with a knee injury that has kept him out since late February.
Hurley believes this team, healthy or not, belongs on the same elite level as the St. John’s squad that has been the conference’s best team all season. “I think they’re a great team,” he said. “I think we’re a great team.”
Friday’s games will decide whether any of this matters. Hurley already knows where he wants to be Sunday. The bloodbath is scheduled. The only question is whether both teams show up for it.
