Rick Pitino’s St John’s Red Storm played the Connecticut Huskies today, and the results were shocking. When the number one and number two teams face each other, no one expects a blowout.
In this case, Pitino’s St John’s lost 70-42 against Dan Hurley’s UConn Huskies. Despite a solid 8-1 away record, Pitino’s team didn’t stand a chance against UConn from the beginning. At halftime, they were trailing 26-41.
The second half only brought more disappointment as the Red Storm registered just 14 points on the board, losing by nearly 30 points. This was one of the biggest losses that Pitino’s team has suffered this season.
Pitino has been coaching since 1974. He has worked with several college programs and NBA teams. Pitino, like most coaches, is known for instilling discipline in his players. He recently shared an example on X.
“Just finished breakfast in Hartford with the team. 13 players and 5 coaches and a special priest. All looking at their phones. No conversing 🤦🏻♂️ -Next discussion coming with my wonderful group,” he wrote.
Hours after this, the Red Storm lost to the Huskies. After the game, Pitino didn’t point fingers at anyone and took the blame upon himself. He stated that a loss like this has been rare in his career, and it’s all on him.
“It’s all on me, very disappointed in our performance, offensively especially,” he said. “It’s all on me. We’ll get ready for Villanova. We’re still playing for league championship. It doesn’t matter you lose by 1 or 40.”
The Red Storm has three more games left. After Villanova, they will face Georgetown at home and Seton Hall on the road. Pitino said that his team will make corrections and move on from this loss.
Rick Pitino Doesn’t Think UConn is St John’s Rival
Pitino has the utmost respect for Hurley and his program. During an appearance on Inside College Basketball Now, Pitino heaped praise on UConn and stated that there’s no rivalry because UConn sits in a league of its own.
“You know, I don’t consider it a rival. I think they’re in a class by themselves. I think we’re just resurrecting our program, but I don’t consider that game more of a rivalry game than Villanova or Georgetown or Providence or anybody else because they’re in a class by themselves. They drive; they’re the engine that drives this league,” he said.
Pitino believes that his team is still trying to catch up with these programs in terms of their fan base and reputation.
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