Big East Game of the Year: No. 6 UConn vs. No. 15 St. John’s | 7 p.m. in PeoplesBank Arena
It all should come down to this. Tonight, in Hartford, UConn men’s basketball faces the team sitting ahead of it in the Big East standings, with the league regular-season crown, postseason seeding, and bragging rights between two great coaches on the line.
St. John’s (22-5, 15-1) took the first meeting at Madison Square Garden, 81-72, in a game that was tied at the half. But defensive pressure, foul trouble, and lackluster rebounding did the Huskies in as Rick Pitino’s aggressive, physical squad took control in the second half.
It was the Johnnies’ third straight win over UConn (25-3, 14-2) going back to last season, but even their head coach admits this streak doesn’t carry much relevance. All of their starters, besides Zuby Ejiofor, and most key rotation players are new to their team this year.
The more concerning trends for Dan Hurley and the Huskies are the ones that reared their head on the court on February 7th against St. John’s and have been persistent: too many turnovers, not enough free throws, and inconsistency from the bench.
Late in that first meeting, when they had a chance to close in, they gave up two backbreaking offensive rebounds, ending any threat of a comeback.
“Hopkins and Ejifor, they’re among the most physical players at their position,” Hurley said. “You gotta be able to fight through contact…you better be ready to battle.”
UConn will be dependent on Tarris Reed Jr. to hold it down in the post while the emerging Eric Reibe spells him off the bench.
“Hopefully something clicked with Tarris after the Creighton game,” Hurley said, adding that the senior’s ball-screen defense, rim protection, screening, and post-ups were “the best they’ve been since he’s been here,” in Saturday’s Villanova game.
The Huskies matched a season high with 15 turnovers against the Red Storm at MSG. They also had 15 against BYU and 14 in that convincing win at Villanova, one of four games this season with 14 turnovers. They’re 140th in turnover rate and averaging 10.9 giveaways per game, 115th in the country.
Surprisingly, their two lowest-turnover performances were their other two losses, to Arizona and Creighton. The Huskies have 16 double-digit turnover games, including eight in a row from Dec. 10 to Jan. 13, and won them all besides the St. John’s game.
The UConn bench managed just six points in 28 minutes of action in the St. John’s loss, and had been “in a funk,” Hurley has said.
Tonight, experienced reserves Jaylin Stewart and Jayden Ross need to excel. Ross has been a critical defensive stopper, while Stewart brings playmaking and size on both ends.
Those two combined for 10 points as part of a 22-point bench effort at Villanova, as Eric Reibe and Malachi Smith also had strong outings. But consistency has remained elusive for this group.
“These guys need to come in the game ready to do things on the court,” Hurley said.
Pitino’s squad is led by the lengthy playmaking trio of Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins, and Dillon Mitchell, who are peaking in all phases for a team that’s won 13 in a row and sits 15th in the AP Poll in addition to their perch atop the Big East. Those three combined for 50 of their team’s 81 points in the win over UConn.
Dylan Darling has emerged as a playmaking lead guard. The Idaho State transfer has scored 16 or more in three of the last four games, including 23 in a 10-point win at Providence. He also scored nine against the Huskies on Feb. 7.
“That guy is tough as nails,” Hurley said. “He was the difference in our game at the garden.”
It’s a quality team that matches up well against UConn. St. John’s is 28th in the country in defensive turnover rate and ranked 21st in both offensive rebounding percentage and free-throw rate.
“They put a lot of pressure on the paint, they drive it, they get on the glass, they put you under constant pressure,” Hurley said.
The Huskies are a great shooting team with strong perimeter defense, but they’re not elite at rebounding, middle of the D1 pack in turnovers, and among the worst in the country at getting to the free-throw line and keeping opponents off of it.
“I think they’re gonna adjust and go bigger at home,” Pitino said.
It’s all setting the stage for a special night in Hartford. CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein called it “one of the games of the year in college basketball,” noting a “burgeoning rivalry” between these two teams. Hurley has called it a must-win game for his team, as is the next one, against Seton Hall.
Tip-off is at 7 p.m. from PeoplesBank Arena. The game will be televised on NBC Sports and Peacock.
