Dan Hurley and Rick Pitino Simultaneously Received Technical Fouls in Heated Moment

In ordinary years, the Big East men’s tournament is a combustible atmosphere, with 11 basketball-crazed fan bases gathering at Madison Square Garden for a competition with a legendary pedigree.

This, however, is no ordinary season.

Friday’s first quarterfinal in New York featured two teams with something to prove: UConn, attempting to defend its 2023 national title under combustible coach Dan Hurley, and St. John’s, finding its way in coach Rick Pitino’s debut season. The Huskies’ massive Big Apple-based fan base only added to the intrigue.

With a little over eight minutes left in the first half, the tension between UConn and the Red Storm boiled over.

First, Pitino was given a technical for arguing a foul call.

Then, Hurley—one of precious few modern coaches mercurial enough to match wits with Pitino—incurred a technical foul while pleading for the officials to kick a fan out of the game.

Fox announcer John Fanta shared a courtside view of the entire episode.

Seemingly undeterred by the back-and-forth, the Huskies took a 52–47 lead into the intermission.