Rick Pitino takes subtle jab at Dan Hurley and UConn in his motivational speech for St John's team

Rick Pitino couldn't resist taking a jab at Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies during the NCAA Tournament watch party of the St. John's Red Storm. On Monday, New York Post Sports posted a clip of Pitino's motivational speech on Instagram, where the St. John's coach poked fun at the defending NCAA champions.

Pitino spoke about St. John's upcoming first-round matchup with Omaha, which will take place at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island, on Thursday. He urged the Red Storm supporters to head up north to Providence to get their tickets and concluded his message by taking a cheeky dig at the Huskies.

"When you pass Storrs on the way by, just wave to them," Pitino said.

Rick Pitino is reveling in the Red Storm's status as the new king of the Big East. St. John's stamped its class in the Big East Conference, posting an 18-2 record to claim its first outright regular-season title since 1985.

The Red Storm continued their dominance in the Big East Tournament, beating Butler, Marquette and Creighton by an average of 17.7 points. They claimed their first Big East Tournament title since 2000 on Saturday night, defeating the Creighton Bluejays 82-66 at Madison Square Garden.

RJ Luis Jr. starred for St. John's in the finals, scoring 29 points on 11-for-18 shooting. He shot 3-for-3 from the 3-point area and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line and helped the Red Storm pull away in the second half, scoring 27 points during that period.

Zuby Ejiofor also stepped up for St. John's, scoring 20 points in 33 minutes. He shot 8-for-15 from the field and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe. Kadary Richmond added 12 points for the Red Storm, who finished the regular season and the Big East Tournament with a 30-4 overall record.

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Rick Pitino and Dan Hurley's future opponents in the 2025 March Madness

Rick Pitino and the St. John's Red Storm will open their 2025 NCAA Tournament campaign on Thursday when they take on the Omaha Mavericks in the first round. If St. John's wins that matchup, the Red Storm will face the winner of the showdown between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Arkansas Razorbacks in the second round.

Head coach Rick Pitino of the St. John's Red Storm reacts in the first half of the championship game against the Creighton Bluejays during the Big East Men's Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 15, 2025. (Credits: Getty)

Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies will begin their NCAA title defense against the Oklahoma Sooners in the first round at Lenovo Center on Friday. If the Huskies survive that test, they will next face the winner of the Florida vs. Norfolk State clash in the second round.