"They’ve got the greatest fanbase": St John's Rick Pitino unveils the key culprit in their gut-wrenching defeat to UConn at iconic MSG

The UConn Huskies took on the St John's Red Storm on Friday in the Big East Tournament semifinal and won 95-90. The game tipped off at the Madison Square Garden in New York, and Red Storm coach Rick Pitino has said that the location played a role in the Huskies' win.

Talking to the media postgame, Pitino pointed out that the arena was filled with fans wearing blue and white jerseys and said (via The New York Post):

“They’re the Kentucky of the East. They’ve got the greatest fanbase in basketball. … We lost a lot of fans in the last 20 years, we’ve got to get them back.”

While it is hard to determine if fan presence, or the absence in St. John's case, plays a part in the results, the Red Storm can rest well knowing that they gave their all in this game. Even Rick Pitino, who is known to be critical, praised his team despite the loss.

“These guys played their tails off. You score 90 points against the defending national champions, I think you're doing a lot of things right,” the Hall of Fame coach said.

UConn coach Dan Hurley also praised St. John's as they gave the Huskies a stiff competition.

"That's one of the better teams we’ve played, one of the more talented teams, and clearly an NCAA Tournament team. I think we showed that we could win any type of game," Hurley said.

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Coaches receive tech calls during UConn vs St. John's

The game was not without its share of drama, as coaches from both sides received technicals. Rick Pitino argued with the officials over a foul call on St. John's center, Joel Soriano.

Right after that, UConn coach Dan Hurley was seen screaming at the referees to eject a fan from their court-side seat. This led to a tech call for Hurley while officials tried to talk to the fan and sort the situation out.

Rick Pitino addressed the issue postgame:

“I haven’t had a technical in a long, long time. I was really looking forward to that moment.” (via ESPN).

Up next, the Red Storm could be looking at an invitation to the Big Dance, thanks to their win streak late in the season. For UConn, Saturday's title game will be their first since 2011 and they will take on the Marquette Golden Eagles.

After that, the Huskies will try their best to defend the NCAA tournament title as a projected No. 1 seed.