Date: Feb 6, 2026 | Time: 8:00 PM ET
Venue: Madison Square Garden | TV: FOX
A massive Big East showdown takes center stage at Madison Square Garden as the No. 3 UConn Huskies face the No. 22 St. John’s Red Storm. With both teams firmly in the NCAA Tournament picture, this matchup carries major resume implications.
Betting Lines (via ESPN Analytics)
- Matchup Predictor:
- St. John’s: 52.1%
- UConn: 47.9%
Oddsmakers see this as a near coin-flip game with a slight edge to St. John’s.
Resume Check
UConn Huskies (22–1, 12–0 Big East)
UConn has dominated conference play with elite defense and balanced scoring. They average 79.6 points per game while allowing just 63.8, making them one of the nation’s best defensive teams.
St. John’s Red Storm (17–5, 10–1 Big East)
St. John’s owns one of the most explosive offenses in the conference, averaging 84.6 points per game. They thrive at MSG and feed off crowd energy.
Players to Watch
UConn
- Solo Ball — 14.3 PPG
- Tarris Reed Jr. — 14.1 PPG, 7.8 RPG
- Silas Demary Jr. — 6.2 APG
St. John’s
- Zuby Ejiofor — 15.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG
- Bryce Hopkins — 13.6 PPG
- Oziah Sellers — 11.0 PPG
How UConn Wins
- Lock in defensively
- Control the paint
- Shoot efficiently
- Slow the pace
How St. John’s Wins
- Push tempo
- Feed Ejiofor inside
- Feed off MSG energy
- Hit perimeter shots
When St. John’s is scoring in transition, they become extremely difficult to stop at home.
Prediction: This matchup pits UConn’s elite defense against St. John’s high-powered offense in one of the Big East’s biggest games of the season. With the game at Madison Square Garden, expect the Red Storm’s home crowd to play a major role. UConn has been dominant all year, but this feels like a tough road spot. I think the Huskies suffer just their second loss of the season.
St. John’s 80, UConn 74
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