UConn's Dan Hurley Discusses Big East's NCAA Tournament Success

The UConn Huskies are on their way to yet another Sweet 16. UConn, in its second-round game, took down the UCLA Bruins 73-57. Despite trailing for over 10 minutes early on, the Huskies went on a 14-5 run to take a halftime lead.

UConn held UCLA to just 38.8% shooting and dominated the glass 36-24. With that win, the Huskies enter their third Sweet 16 appearance in four seasons.

Next up, the Huskies will face the Michigan State Spartans. If the Huskies win that game, they will face the winner of the St. John’s-Duke game.

And if St. John’s does manage to win, then the Huskies have scores to settle, and this time Dan Hurley predicts a “bloodbath.”

But before getting too far ahead, Hurely spoke after the recent win and discussed what the success of UConn and St. John's means for the Big East.

“I think it speaks to the quality of what us and St. John’s are this year. I think they’re a great team, I think we’re a great team. I think it was much needed, coming off a three-bid year,” said Hurley. "...Just think us and St. John’s are two of the best teams in the country, and we both hope for a meeting in D.C., a fourth meeting."

Hurley is not wrong. UConn and St. John’s have been giants in the Big East. And if anything, the three games the two teams have played against each other say it all.

St. John’s took two of three meetings, including a 72-52 win in the Big East title game, where UConn turned it over 17 times and shot just 3-of-19 from deep. However, the Huskies also took down St. John’s 72-40 in PeoplesBank Arena, holding the Red Storm to under 20% shooting.

One thing common to both wins is that they were played at Madison Square Garden, the same venue where Hurley earlier this season claimed the Red Storm fans tend to pack the house, giving St. John’s an advantage.

Feb 25, 2026; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino talks to his team during a break as they take on the UConn Huskies at PeoplesBank Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Redstorm are coming off a brilliant win against Kansas. With that win, St. John’s enters the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999 and made Rick Pitino the fifth coach in NCAA men's basketball history to log 10 30-win seasons, joining names like Mike Krzyzewski and Bill Self.

While both teams have been successful in their respective paths thus far, Hurley also called out the selection committee for some questionable bracket construction decisions.

"It stinks a little bit that they threw us both in the same region," Hurley said. "It feels like a combination of St. John’s being underseeded, as well as putting us both in the same region.”

Hurley also went on to issue a disclaimer after the “underseeded” claim.

“I don’t want to get myself in trouble with the selection committee or the NCAA. I’m not a rule breaker, but it’ll be a live building," he said. "It’s probably a little early, but we’ve got to try to support each other. It’s pretty brutal on Twitter and social between our fan bases, but we’ve got to come together on Friday night against our opponents, so that we can have a bloodbath on Sunday,"

Dan Hurley Questions Another Snub

Hurley didn’t stop with St. John’s. He also pointed to what he believes was another oversight: Seton Hall missing the tournament entirely.

“Obviously, Seton Hall was close," Hurley said. "They did their part in the non-conference, but really got hurt by the overall league."

Seton Hall built a strong non-conference record with three wins over high-major schools, but faltered in Big East play, leaving them in a precarious situation. Their last hope ended when the Pirates lost 71-67 to UConn, where they led by eight in the second half but couldn’t close.

Hurley made it clear he believes that shouldn’t have been the deciding factor.

“This year, Shaheen (Holloway) did a great job. He just had no help from the conference and should have been in this tournament based on what he did in the non-con,” added Hurley.

While Hurley can question the committee, his team has no time to dwell. Next up, Michigan State, led by Tom Izzo, will play the Huskies. Spartans are coming off a 77-69 win over Louisville.

Don't forget to bookmark UConn Huskies on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and more!