Popular CBB analyst commends Rick Pitino's crew ahead of March Madness showdown: "One of the hottest teams in college basketball"

Coach Rick Pitino led the St. John's Red Storm to the Big East semifinal for the first time in 24 years, beating Seton Hall 91-72.

The Red Storm will face off against No. 1 UConn Huskies next. College basketball analyst Wally Szczerbiak commended coach Pitino's team for the achievement, saying on CBS Sports:

"They've won six in a row, Rick Pitino wants them to play fast, and they have scored 80 or more points in all those games, including a game where they scored 104 points. This team is one of the hottest teams in college basketball," Szczerbiak said.

"This team dominated Seton Hall in every statistical category and they're a completely different team because they had a roster overhaul at the beginning of the year and a great coach has gotten them where they need to be come March. Watch out for this team in the NCAA Tournament."

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What Rick Pitino said after leading the Red Storm to Big East semis

The Red Storm have won six games in a row since Rick Pitino's rant after losing 68-62 to Seton Hall.

During his postgame news conference, Pitino spoke about the prospect of playing against the reigning national champions, the UConn Huskies, in the Big East semifinal game.

“I think when we play in the NCAA Tournament we’ll be a really good basketball team,” Pitino said.

“I wouldn’t judge where we’re at right now against UConn. I think we’ll play well. They’re an incredible team. We’ve got great respect for them. We played them tough twice. We’ve gotten better, but so have they. It’s kind of tough to imagine them getting better.

“I think you’ve got to play a perfect game to beat a team like this because when they sub, sometimes they get better.”

The game will be at the iconic Madison Square Garden. The Huskies have lost three of their last three semifinals, to the Creighton Bluejays in 2021, the Villanova Wildcats in 2022 and the Marquette Golden Eagles in 2023.

Rick Pitino complimented the Huskies, who have an overall 29-3 record and their title-winning coach Dan Hurley.

“It will be another sellout crowd,” Pitino said. “We’re going to face a great team. So we’re going to meet the challenge head-on. Outside of fighting the fans, he’s about as good a coach as there is in basketball. I never knew Danny was as tough as he is. I’m joking.”

The in-form St. John's Red Storm are being projected to be selected for March Madness regardless of how they fare against the UConn Huskies.