Dan Hurley's UConn Compared To Rocky Balboa Ahead Of Battle With St. John's
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Madison Square Garden will be rocking at midday on Sunday as it plays host to a Big East showdown between the No. 10 St. John’s Red Storm and the defending national champion UConn Huskies.
The contest promises to be something of a heavyweight bout between two classic programs striving for optimal resumes as the NCAA tournament approaches.
At 18-8 on the season, Dan Hurley’s UConn club finds itself in an unfamiliar role as underdog lately.
CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein made an epic Rocky IV comparison to Sunday’s battle between the Huskies and Red Storm.
“The game of the year in the Big East happens today at MSG as St. John's hosts UConn,” Rothstein wrote on Sunday morning.
“Rick Pitino. Dan Hurley. Kadary Richmond. Liam McNeeley. A Rocky Balboa/ Ivan Drago in Moscow type feel today at the World's Most Famous Arena.”
It’s fascinating how quickly the tide turns in college basketball. Were this matchup taking place a year ago or two years ago, we’d be talking about UConn as Drago and St. John’s as Rocky Balboa.
But as the 2024-25 Huskies have struggled to measure up to the last two seasons of glory, Rick Pitino has built a juggernaut in Queens and looks poised to bring this St. John’s team to the Final Four.
To overcome St. John’s talents like RJ Luis — who is widely expected to play, despite being injured — UConn will need strong outings from players like Liam McNeeley and Tarris Reed Jr.
It’s a momentous opportunity for the Huskies to pick up a statement win, and The Garden will be popping off.
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-6cddf44b9a81eadb9d1a4c19c1b3db49.jpeg "Colin Keane")
Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org