The Big East will take center stage on Friday night in Washington D.C. as both St. John’s and UConn have advanced to the Sweet 16 and will play Duke and Michigan State, respectively.
A win by both programs would set the fourth meeting of the season between the Johnnies and Huskies with a Final Four berth on the line after they split the regular season series and the Red Storm topped UConn by 20 points in the Big East Tournament Championship Game.
There is no love lost between the teams or the fans but Huskies head coach Dan Hurley is calling for a truce, at least for Friday night, so the league can prove it was one of the best in the nation.
“It's pretty brutal on Twitter, I think, and socials between our fan bases,” he said on Sunday night after UConn beat UCLA to advance to the Sweet 16. “But I think we have to try to come together Friday night against our opponent so we can have a blood bath on Sunday.”
“I think it speaks to the quality of what us and St. John's are this year. I think they're a great team. I think we're a great team. I think it was much needed,” he added about the league.
For St. John’s, it’s the first appearance for the program in the Sweet 16 since 1999 while the Huskies are hoping to win its third National Championship in the last three seasons.
“I just think us and St. John's are two of the best teams in the country,” Hurley added.
“Obviously, we both hoped a fourth meeting in D.C. It stinks a little bit that they threw us both in the same region.”
St. John’s will battle top-seed Duke in the first game of the night on Friday (7:10 p.m. ET, CBS) while UConn will get No. 3 seed Michigan State.