Dan Hurley Gets Brutally Honest About UConn’s Rivalries

Then came a question about rivalries. An interviewer asked if it's good for the Big East that UConn and St. John's both look strong, suggesting the two programs might develop a rivalry this season.

Hurley acknowledged rivalries are great for college basketball. But he also explained why UConn-St. John's doesn't quite fit that description yet.

"I think it's great for college basketball to have rivalries, to have programs that are both legitimately top five, top 10 caliber," Hurley said. "This is the only way you can do a rivalry, you can't do a rivalry if one team is at the top of the sport and has won six national championships since 1999, and other programs haven't had any level of success like that. It's pretty hard to have a rivalry."

"So, you know, the fact that coach has their program, you know, positioned, the way they played last year and what they look like in the preseason, you know, makes it exciting."

Hurley threaded the needle there. He credited St. John's coach Rick Pitino with building something legitimate while also pointing out the obvious gap. UConn has had six titles since 1999, while St. John’s has not won an NCAA men’s national championship. But Pitino has the Red Storm trending up, and that matters for the conference even if it doesn't create an instant rivalry.

How Does UConn's Recent Dominance Back Up Hurley's Confidence?

Even though the 2024-25 season was not that great, Hurley's teams won 12 straight NCAA Tournament games by double digits across 2023 and 2024. The 140-point combined margin set a modern record in 2024. Every opponent got blown out. After cutting down the nets in 2024, Hurley summed up the program's place in college basketball history.

"UConn's been running for the last 25, 30 years. UConn's been running college basketball. And I see all the former champs over there. And we've been running college basketball the last 30 years. Let's go." Hurley said.

He wasn't just celebrating a title. He was making a statement about sustained excellence across decades. The 2023-24 team went 37-3 and never faced a close game in March. Then the Lakers came calling with a six-year, $70 million offer. Hurley turned it down and signed a new deal at UConn worth $50 million through 2029-30.

Five straight NCAA Tournaments, two national titles, a 165-69 record in seven seasons, Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan were lottery picks in 2024. The pipeline keeps producing, and the program keeps winning.

Hurley heads into year eight with the infrastructure to chase another title. His media day comments weren't trash talk. They were just reality. UConn starts 2025-26 as the program everyone else is measuring themselves against in the Big East.

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