“Not when you’re at UConn,” he (Hurley) stated. “With the history of this place, and the brand and notoriety and respect with the four national championships and all the NBA players, one of the greatest coaches of all time (Jim Calhoun), and everything that’s gone on with women’s basketball … every game, you feel like it’s the other team’s Super Bowl.”
Asked specifically about Providence, Hurley still wouldn’t budge.
“St. John’s feels like a rival, Seton Hall feels like a rival,” he noted. “I think everyone in your conference feels like a rival. For UConn, it’s different, because of the brand. It doesn’t have anything to do with any of us that are coaching or playing here right now. We weren’t a part of all that success. But every game for us feels like a rivalry game, because we get everyone’s ‘A’ game every night.”