The No. 2-seeded Connecticut Huskies and No. 5 St. John’s Red Storm may be headed toward a fourth meeting of the season, this time in what would be the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. For that to happen, St. John’s would have to topple the No. 1 overall-seeded Duke Blue Devils before UConn would need to earn a win over the No. 3-seeded Michigan State Spartans this coming Friday evening.
Following UConn’s 73-57 win over the UCLA Bruins on Sunday, Huskies head coach Dan Hurley couldn’t help but look ahead to what could be for the two Big East programs.
Dan Hurley shares high praise for UConn, St. John’s
“Us and St. John’s are two of the best teams in the country,” Hurley insisted, per Jerry Carino of the Asbury Park Press. “Obviously, we hope for a meeting in D.C. (in Sunday’s regional final). I guess it stinks a little bit that they threw us both in the same region. It feels like the combination of St. John’s being under-seeded as well as us both being in the same region…I don’t want to get myself in trouble with the selection committee or the NCAA.”
Former Duke head coach and college basketball legend Mike Krzyzewski was among those who previously expressed disappointment that the selection committee put UConn and St. John’s in the same region. St. John’s beat UConn twice during the campaign, most recently when the Johnnies notched a convincing 72-52 win in the Big East Tournament final.
That said, UConn crushed St. John’s 72-40 in late February. The Red Storm haven’t lost since that defeat.
As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had St. John’s as a 6.5-point underdog versus Duke. That same outlet had UConn as a 1.5-point favorite over Michigan State.
What Dan Hurley would expect for fourth UConn, St. John’s showdown
“It’ll be a live building,” Hurley added about what could occur if the two Big East rivals face off this coming weekend. “Obviously we’ve got to try to support each other. I think it’s pretty brutal on Twitter and social between our fan bases, but I think we’ve got to try to come together on Friday night against our opponents so that we could have a bloodbath Sunday.”
With a trip to the Final Four on the line, St. John’s and UConn could produce the tournament’s most memorable game if the two schools are still standing after the Sweet 16 wraps up.