St. John’s men’s basketball headcoach Rick Pitino said something this week that undoubtedly gave UConn fans a reasonto react.
Pitino, the Naismith BasketballHall of Fame coach, said this to NJ.com about the upcoming Big East season:
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“Connecticut and St. John’sare not the favorites,” Pitino said.
“If I had to pick, I’d pickMarquette one.”
The same Marquette, whichfinished 12-20 overall and 7-13 in the conference, last season? The same GoldenEagles who had a winning percentage of .375 – one of only two seasons in the 17-season NCAA career of head coach Shaka Smart with a sub-.550 percentage?
St.John’s head coach Rick Pitino (left) and Marquette head coach Shaka Smart chat before their teams play on Feb, 18, 2026, at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. Mark Hoffman-Milwaukee Journal Schedule via Imagn Images.
The conference has beendominated by UConn and St. John’s the past three seasons, and the schools havedeveloped a rivalry since Pitino took over the Red Storm before thestart of the 2023-24 season. In that time, St. John’s is 81-25 withback-to-back Big East regular-season and tournament championships.
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In the past three seasons, headcoach Dan Hurley’s UConn squad is 95-20 with two Final Four appearances and anational championship, as well as one Big East regular season and tournamentchampionship titles.
The Golden Eagles are 62-41 overallin that span, but did pull off a huge win against UConn in the final game of the2025-26 regular season, 68-62.
Why not?
The college basketball season isso long, with inevitable twists and turns. Delays caused by the snowy weather thatisn’t uncommon in the Big East footprint can disrupt travel plans and throw offa team’s rhythm. And injuries don’t discriminate. A team’s star can incur a season-ending injury just the same as the ninth player in the rotation.
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In other words, much has to gojust right for a team to win conference championships.
Pitino, in the NJ.com interview,issued a reminder that Marquette will return three of the five starters whodefeated the Huskies on March 7.
Chase Ross and Ben Gold werelost to graduation but the others – sophomore guards Nigel James Jr. and AdrienStevens, along with junior forward Royce Parham – all return.
Theycombined to average 36.8 points per game, nearly half of the Golden Eagles’ teamaverage of 75.2 points.
Hurley and Pitino both lost keycontributors from their teams, starting with three NBA first-round draft picks:UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr. (No. 26 overall) and Alex Karaban (No. 29) as well asSt. John’s Zuby Ejiofor (No. 23). Both coaches restocked via the transfer portal.
St. John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) fights for a rebound against Connecticut center Tarris Reed Jr. (5) and guard Silas Demary Jr. (2) during the second half of the men’s Big East conference tournament championship game at Madison Square Garden on March 14, 2036. Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Early predictions from a coupleof the best-known NCAA men’s basketball experts project UConn and St. John asthe top two teams in the Big East. It will be interesting to see the preseasonpoll results and to hear from other coaches in the league closer to the startof the season.
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Marquette has the most recentexperience as a Big East champion, aside from the Huskies and Red Storm.
St. John’s won the past twoseasons, with UConn the champ in 2023-24. Marquette won its second regular-seasontitle in 2022-23 and its first conference championship that same season.
