Dan Hurley might have missed out on the Big East regular-season title to Rick Pitino again this year, but he has a chance to make a statement against the Pitino family on Thursday night.
UConn is set to clash with Xavier in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals at 7 p.m. in the iconic Madison Square Garden. Xavier punched their ticket with a nail-biting 89-87 victory over Marquette on Wednesday, denying the Huskies a rematch opportunity after their recent 68-62 defeat to the Golden Eagles in Milwaukee.
That loss dashed UConn's hopes of sharing the league title with St. John's, led by none other than Rick Pitino.
Xavier, under the guidance of Richard Pitino, Rick's son, has already felt the sting of UConn twice this season. The Huskies dominated with a 90-67 win on New Year's Eve in Cincinnati and followed it up with a 92-60 victory on February 3 in Hartford, showcasing their prowess on the boards in both encounters.
"We're going to do the total opposite of what we did the first two times we played them," Richard Pitino joked. "They're a terrific team, but we have not played them well. We've got to stay up all night as coaches and put them in a better position, because they're a tough team."
Xavier has faced challenges, dropping seven of its last nine regular-season games. However, they boast the league's second-leading scorer, Tre Carroll, a first-team all-Big East pick averaging 18 points per game. UConn has managed to keep Carroll in check, holding him to just nine points in each of their meetings this season.
"We understand they run a very unique offense, they shoot the basketball extremely well, they're very, very physical," Pitino said about the Huskies. "We've got to try everything, we really do. But although they lost their last one, they're the class of this league, they're a championship program and they're what we're striving to become."
If UConn had faced Marquette on Thursday, it would have marked the first time since 1996 that the Huskies played an opponent in consecutive games. Back then, they defeated Seton Hall on March 2 and again in the Big East tourney on March 7.
The point guard for Seton Hall during those games? A fiery senior named Dan Hurley.
The Huskies will be without junior wing Jaylin Stewart for the entire Big East Tournament. Stewart, sidelined by a knee injury, has missed the last three games.
Although Hurley had hoped Stewart might return for the Marquette game, he was seen on crutches at the practice facility last week. Hurley mentioned on Tuesday that Stewart is still "in line" to return for next week's NCAA Tournament.
Here's a quick look at the matchup:
**No. 2 UConn vs.
No. 10 Xavier**
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Records: UConn 27-4, Xavier 15-17
Xavier Key Players:
- Malik Messina-Moore, G, 10.9 PPG
- All Wright, G, 7.7 PPG
- Filip Borovicanin, F, 10.5 PPG
- Isaiah Walker, G, 4.6 PPG
- Jovan Milicevic, F, 12.3 PPG
UConn Key Players:
- Solo Ball, G, 13.9 PPG
- Silas Demary Jr., G, 11.1 PPG
- Tarris Reed Jr., C, 13.8 PPG
- Alex Karaban, F, 12.9 PPG
- Braylon Mullins, F, 12.0 PPG
UConn is poised to continue their strong season, but Xavier won't go down without a fight. It's shaping up to be an exciting showdown at the Garden.