St. John’s, UConn will play at MSG next season despite Rick Pitino’s desire to honor Lou Carnesecca
After all that, St. Johns and Connecticut will play at the Garden next year, Rick Pitino said Friday.
The Hall of Fame coach has said a few times he wanted to play the Huskies at Carnesecca Arena next year as a way to honor Lou Carnesecca on his 100th birthday.
But that isnt going to happen now, according to Pitino.
I wanted to play them for Louies 100th birthday. They immediately called the Big East office and protested, Pitino said.
Instead, Pitino and the Johnnies may face Georgetown or Villanova on Carneseccas milestone birthday in Queens.
A league source told The Post it was never a realistic option for St. Johns to play Connecticut there.
Big East policy dictates that the conference can choose where the highest-profile games will be played if a school plays more than two home games at a public venue.
The Garden, where St. Johns is playing eight times this year, obviously wanted the Connecticut game played in its building, as well.
3Lou Carnesecca turns 100 next year. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post## see also
St. John’s has massive chance for revenge in UConn rematch: ‘Our turn’
One of the reasons that Pitino wanted to play the game on campus was to tweak UConn coach Dan Hurley, it is believed.
St. Johns and Pitino felt Hurleys sideline behavior in the UConn win on Dec. 23 was inappropriate, according to sources.
Another factor is that Huskies fans have typically flooded the Garden when they play St. Johns.
Asked if there is any bad blood between the coaches, Hurley said: We all have egos. I dont think any of us are in this to become friends.
He didnt directly address his relationship with Pitino.
3Rick Pitino wanted to play the game next year Carnesecca Arena. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostTomorrows meeting between the two schools at MSG is expected to be a sellout, though it is believed that it will be a 50/50 split between fans of the two programs.
St. Johns last sold out a Big East game at the Garden during Chris Mullins final season as coach, a victory over Villanova on Feb. 17, 2019.
Connecticut could be without talented forward Alex Karaban.
The sophomore is dealing with a sprained ankle and will be a game-time decision Saturday, Hurley said.
The 6-foot-8 Karaban is averaging 14.5 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 39.3 percent from 3-point range.
3Dan Hurley and UConn take on St. John’s on Saturday. APSt. Johns senior Joel Soriano was named as one of 10 finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar award, which is given to the nations best center.
The Johnnies 1998-99 Elite Eight team, led by Ron Artest (now Metta World Peace), Erick Barkley and Bootsy Thornton, will be honored at halftime of Saturdays game.
That team had a reunion dinner Friday night with fans.
How many decks are used in poker?
In most popular poker variants, such as Texas Hold'em and Omaha, a standard deck of 52 playing cards is used. Each deck contains four suits (hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades) and consists of 13 ranks (Ace, 2 through 10, and the face cards: Jack, Queen, and King).
What is the bonus code for WPT Global Poker 2023?
The best bonus code for WPT Global is WPT777. By entering the bonus code, players will get a welcome bonus 100% up to $1,200 on the first deposit. The minimum deposit is $20.
What is the best WPT Global bonus code?
Use the WPT Global bonus code WPT777 when registering to get a 100% deposit bonus up to $1200 plus a $100 No Deposit poker bonus.
