Dan Hurley has certainly noticed how St. John’s resurgence has affected the crowd at MSG.
With UConn and the Red Storm on a collision course for a potential rubber match in the Big East final in two weeks, the Huskies’ coach made what could be perceived as a sly dig at St. John’s fans while joking about how the historic conference championship venue should be changed.
“Obviously, we expect to see them potentially a third time,” Hurley said after a 72-40 UConn trashing Wednesday in Hartford. “But I do want to move that Big East Tournament somewhere else because I do think St. John’s has too big of an advantage playing the Big East Tournament at MSG, now that their fan base is, like, woke up and packs that place. I’d like to move it to the Prudential Center.
“I’m saying that tongue in cheek, obviously, guys.”
The crowds at St. John’s games had long been a topic of discussion during the program’s leaner years the past few decades, with other Big East fan bases taking over the building.
UConn fans call MSG “Storrs South,” Providence fans dub it “Dunk South” and Villanova fans have been known to pack the arena.
That has changed during the Rick Pitino era, with the legendary coach creating a national championship contender that has induced Red Storm fans to attend games.
St. John’s fans packed MSG last year en route to the conference tournament championship.
UConn fans have particularly felt at home at MSG, but St. John’s fans drowned them out during the Red Storm’s 81-72 home win on Feb. 7.
“When we play St. John’s now in the Big East road game, that’s not Storrs South no more,” Hurley said recently. “That environment that we played in was a serious, serious, nasty environment, an intense environment — we were at a major disadvantage in terms of the atmosphere.”
The Big East Tournament would not be a St. John’s home game for the Red Storm, but certainly Hurley knows a potential third clash would provide more of a 50-50 environment.
Both teams would finish 18-2 should they win the remainder of their respective regular-season games, but St. John’s would get the tiebreaker since it swept Creighton, the team UConn also lost to, and the Blue Jays rank ahead of Providence, who handed St. John’s its other conference defeat.
St. John’s will have to show it can rebound from a historic drubbing after Tuesday’s offensive ineptitude, when it scored just 14 points in the second half and shot 11-for-56 overall (19.6 percent).
The Red Storm host Villanova on Saturday before welcoming Georgetown next Tuesday and finishing the regular season at Seton Hall next Friday.
“This loss is one that you really want to forget and move on to the next opponent,” St. John’s star Zuby Ejiofor said after an uncharacteristic quiet night.
“Championship-level teams respond in a positive way. My job is to make sure we are a lot more prepared for the next opponent than we were tonight. Today was an off game for me personally, as well as the team. But you have to quickly flush it and get ready for the next opponent.”
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