Dan Hurley and Rick Pitino have built a rivalry rooted in expectations and results, one that continues to shape the Big East conversation. With their teams set to meet on February 7, the matchup carries uneven weight. UConn arrives with stability and confidence, while St. John’s faces mounting pressure as questions swirl around its postseason trajectory.

Analyst Randolph Childress has been blunt in his assessment of Pitino’s team. “We know all the talks we’ve talked about that point guard play, so on and so forth, but again, for the biggest disappointment teams that we’ve gone from a Final Four to where we’re like first weekend of the tournament, that’s a massive dropoff so I am going to go with the Giants.”

That context makes the UConn game feel pivotal. “It’s like that game with UConn at home is like a must-win game; that is a must-win game for them when the Huskies come to town,” Childress said.

“So now a team that we all thought like a Final Four from the start looked like they have looked nothing like that, and, they are a fringe tournament, plus I think they’ll get in. They’re a first weekend team. It wouldn’t surprise me.”

The numbers underline the concern. At this stage last season, St. John’s stood at 10-2. This year, they are 8-4, with losses to Alabama, Iowa State, Auburn, and Kentucky. The slide has sharpened scrutiny ahead of their biggest conference test. UConn, meanwhile, has had few issues.

The only snag along the way was a loss against Arizona (71-67), but that was that. With a 12-1 record so far in the tournament, UConn is making a strong claim for the NCAA playoffs. Even the NET rankings show the level of difference between the two. You have UConn sitting pretty at no 8 while the Red Storm finds themselves in the 30th position.

So Hurley can breathe easy, unlike his rival, who has a lot to get in order before his season resumes next year. However, there is one minor hitch for Dan Hurley as well as his team’s top scorer, who has found himself sidelined with injury.

Solo Ball’s Injury Scare Should Worry UConn

Solo Ball has undoubtedly been UConn’s brightest player this season. Ball has literally been “ballin” for the Huskies and has averaged 15.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 42.6% FG%, and has played in every game. But a wrist injury made him miss his first game this season. The injury had come in a game against Butler, which also produced his career high of 26 points.

While adrenaline pushed him through in that game, it also simultaneously aggravated his wrist, causing it to swell. The hand in question was also his shooting hand, which made it impossible for him to catch, dribble, and shoot.

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“He was kind of questionable from the game the other day, and just couldn’t get healthy enough to be able to go today,” said coach Dan Hurley after he was left with no other choice to go out without him. Though Husky still managed to win against DePaul (85-59), his absence was greatly felt.

Teammate Alex Karaban pointed out how it was playing without Solo on the team. “Just opens up the court so much. So definitely not having Solo probably hurt us in the beginning, but we found a way. I think whenever we have injuries, we’re always going to find a way, and it’ll make us stronger later down the season,” said Karaban, who knows fully well what it means to have Solo in the team.

While there’s no clear update as to when Solo will return to play with the side, Dan Hurley will surely want his  6-foot-4 junior guard to return to full health soon for the team’s sake. As far as wrist injuries go, even a Grade 1 injury takes about 1 to 4 weeks to fully recover, so his return against Xavier, too, seems tentative at best.