“Genuinely dont seem to like each other” - College hoops analyst shares his opinion about Rick Pitino vs Dan Hurley’s rivalry
The rivalry between UConn basketball head coach Dan Hurley and St. John's coach Rick Pitino has been marked by mutual dislike. Many analysts believe their rivalry is good for the Big East conference.
Basketball insider Adam Zagoria shared his opinion on the growing tension between the two iconic coaches during an appearance on the "Locked On UConn" podcast on Saturday.
"I talked a little bit to Rick Pitino yesterday. He put out some tweets. Look, this Rick Pitino-Dan Hurley rivalry thing, how much of it is real and how much of it is fake, I think it's pretty real," Zagoria said.
"It is terrific for the Big East and for college basketball. You got guys who genuinely dont seem to like each other."
Pitino and Hurley's feud started to boil up last season when UConn began using Madison Square Garden in New York as their second home.
Pitino immediately announced that St. John's would play just one home game on campus and it would be against the Huskies. He wanted UConn to come to Queens and play at Carnesecca Arena.
However, Rick Pitino did not have any luck against Dan Hurley's UConn in 2023-24. St. John's lost all three games against Connecticut, two of which were at Madison Square Garden in New York.
"I really don't think about these other coaches," Hurley responded on the rivalry. "I don't watch them during the game, I really have no idea what these guys are doing. So, I can't really say how I feel about how they coach a game."
"You've some of the best coaches in the game right now, fan bases that are incredibly passionate, huge basketball schools. It creates this tension between programs. You've got coaches in this league that are among the best in the game. We all have egos. I don't think any of us are in this to become friends."
Dan Hurley vs Rick Pitino head-to-head records
Dan Hurley and Rick Pitino have faced each other on the court four times so far with Hurley coming out on top every time.
Their first meeting was at the 2023 NCAA tournament when Pitino was in his final season with Iona. UConn knocked out the Gaels from the first round of the tourney.
Former Boston Celtics HC Pitino joined St. John's Red Storm ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. His second clash with Hurley's men was a closely contested battle but Pitino suffered another defeat as St. John's lost 65-69 in a Big East regular-season game.
Hurley and Pitino met for the fourth time at the 2024 Big East Tournament semifinal. UConn emerged victorious again with a score of 95-90.