University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
St. John's
No. 3 Huskies Visit MSG to Face No. 22 St. John's
2/5/2026 2:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK, N.Y. – The No. 3 UConn men's basketball team (22-1, 12-0 BIG EAST) heads to its home away from home on Friday night for a BIG EAST blockbuster against No. 22 St. John's (17-5, 10-1 BIG EAST). Tip-off from Madison Square Garden is set for 8 p.m. and will air on FOX College Basketball Friday with Gus Johnson, Jim Jackson and Allison Williams on the call.
The match-up of the BIG EAST's last two champions comes with both teams scorching hot. Connecticut has won its last 18 contests and is off to a perfect 12-0 start in BIG EAST play. The 18-game streak is the third-longest single season run in UConn history and the 12-0 start to conference play is the third-best in BIG EAST history. The Red Storm, the league's preseason favorite, have won eight in a row and returned to the national polls in recent weeks. Friday night is the first time two BIG EAST teams have met in February both having zero or one loss in league play since 2/2/09, when 9-1 Connecticut topped 8-0 Louisville by a score of 68-51.
The Huskies are making their third trip of the season to 'Storrs South.' UConn is 2-0 at the World's Most Famous Arena this season with a pair of top-20 wins over Illinois and Florida. Dan Hurley is 17-8 as the UConn head man at MSG and has won 11 of his last 13 at the Mecca.
UConn is 34-39 all-time against St. John's in a series dating back to 1951, with the sides beginning to meet regularly at the outset of the BIG EAST. The Red Storm won 17-straight from 1982-89 before the series skewed towards UConn beginning in 1990, with the Huskies holding a 30-20 advantage since. Hurley is 6-4 against the Red Storm at Connecticut since the Huskies returned to the BIG EAST ahead of 2020-21. Last season SJU swept the regular season series for the first time since 2000 en route to a league title.
The Huskies were last in action on Tuesday night in Hartford, cruising past Xavier with a 92-60 triumph. UConn opened the game with a 10-0 'kill shot' and never looked back, going up by 28 at the half and as many as 38 in the second half. Connecticut shot 56.7 percent from the field and saw seven players score at least nine points while dishing out 26 assists. Silas Demary Jr. led the way with 17 points and eight assists, while UConn's center tandem of Tarris Reed Jr. and Eric Reibe scored 14 points apiece and combined for 15 rebounds while shooting 12-of-13 from the floor. Braylon Mullins added 13 points, all in the first half, and Jayden Ross came off the bench to score 11 points and hit a trio of 3-pointers in 15 minutes.
Solo Ball leads the Huskies with 14.3 points per game and was named to the Jerry West Award Shooting Guard of the Year Watch List on Tuesday. Reed Jr. is second on the squad with 14.1 points per game and adds team-highs of 7.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks while shooting 64.8 percent from the field, best in the BIG EAST and 11th nationally. Alex Karaban captains Connecticut and is averaging 13.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists on the season while compiling a 46.8 / 40.8 / 81.8 shooting line.
Demary Jr. has emerged as one of the nation's best point guards, serving as the 'head of the snake' for a UConn defensive unit that ranks in the top-five nationally. He leads the BIG EAST with 6.2 assists per game and a 3.09 assist/turnover ratio and is shooting a scorching 56.8 percent from three in league play on 3.7 attempts per game. Mullins is the fifth UConn regular scoring in double-figures and pumps in 11.8 points per game. During league action, Mullins has upped his scoring output to 13.0 points per game and leads the league among qualified shooters with a 40.9 percent 3-point field goal percentage.
St. John's, which has won its last eight and 10 of 11, most recently secured a 68-56 win at DePaul on Tuesday night. Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor leads the Red Storm across the board with 15.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.0 blocks, all team-highs. Bryce Hopkins adds 13.6 points and 5.5 rebounds while Oziyah Sellers and Ian Jackson average 11.0 points per game apiece. Dillon Mitchell chips in 9.4 points and 7.0 rebounds and is shooting 58.6 percent from the field.
Following the Friday night clash the Huskies are back in action on the road on Wednesday, Feb. 11 to visit Butler.
