St. John’s wants another shot at UConn in Big East Tournament
Moments after Wednesday night’s historic loss to UConn, several St. John’s players were already considering a rematch.
That’s according to Huskies head coach Dan Hurley, who said Zuby Ejiofor and Dylan Darling referenced meeting again in the Big East tournament during their postgame handshakes.
“Zuby Ejiofor was looking at me while he was bleeding from the mouth,” Hurley said on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” after that 72-40 rout in Hartford.
“And he mumbled something like, ‘I’ll see you again, my man.’ And then when I got to Darling, Darling said to me, ‘Coach, I’ll see you in New York in a few weeks.’
No. 6 UConn and No. 15 St. John’s hold the top two seeds in the Big East, meaning they won’t face each other in the conference tournament until the finals.
That means St. John’s and UConn would have to win two games each in the Big East tournament before they could face each other again.
But many believe a third meeting is inevitable, given that UConn and St. John’s have been the class of the conference since the start of the Big East.
Hurley suggested it to Pitino after Wednesday’s game.
“He said, ‘I have a feeling we’ll see each other again,’” Pitino said. “And I said, ‘I hope you’re right.’”
St. John’s entered Saturday night’s game against Villanova at Madison Square Garden with a 15-2 record in Big East play.
Top-seeded UConn, meanwhile, improved to 17-2 after posting a 71-67 home win over Seton Hall on Saturday afternoon.
Seton Hall nearly did St. John’s a huge favor, as it led the Huskies by eight points with less than nine minutes remaining and by one point with less than a minute remaining.
But Solo Ball and Alex Karaban combined to make seven free throws down the stretch as UConn improved to 27-3 overall.
“He probably has the best team in the country,” Pitino said of Hurley. “One of the best teams in the country. We have to get through two games [in the Big East Tournament] to play them. So I can’t see it that way.
St. John’s defeated UConn, 81-72, at the Garden on Feb. 6 in the teams’ first meeting of the season.
But UConn dominated Wednesday’s rematch at PeoplesBank Arena, with a 32-point victory marking the program’s largest margin of victory ever against St. John’s.
The Red Storm missed their final 24 shot attempts in that loss as their 13-game winning streak came to an end.
UConn and St. John’s haven’t met in the Big East tournament since 2024, when the Huskies beat the Red Storm in the semifinals. Connecticut won that conference tournament before winning its second straight national championship a few weeks later.
St. John’s won the Big East regular season and conference tournament titles last year.
This year’s Big East tournament will take place March 11-14 at the Garden.
“The problem with our league is it’s a war,” Hurley said on ESPN. “It’s a battle. There are rivalries. There are coaches who don’t like each other. There are teams who don’t like each other. I think sport is better when there is tension, intensity and ill will.”
ANIME MAYHEM
St. John’s canceled a planned distribution of trading cards and posters from the animated series “One Piece” before Saturday’s game after a recent similar promotion led to chaos.
When St. John’s handed out collaborative “One Piece” cards and posters during its Feb. 6 game against UConn, scalpers gathered outside the Garden and offered hundreds of dollars for the items.
Commemorative cards are listed on eBay for prices over $200.
In a statement, St. John’s said Saturday’s cancellation was “due to the overwhelming response and to ensure the best experience for all fans.”
HISTORY OF MSG
The St. John’s women’s basketball team is set to host No. 1 UConn on Sunday night – and make history in the process.
Sunday’s regular season finale will be the St. John’s women’s team’s first-ever standalone game at the Garden.
In total, the Red Storm have played 18 games at the Garden (with an 11-7 record), but those previous appearances have always been in multi-team events. For example, the St. John’s men’s and women’s teams both played there in a “Johnnies Day” doubleheader on February 16, 2025.
“Having our first standalone game is a big deal,” head coach Joe Tartamella said. “A lot of people don’t know how hard to try to put these [games] together.”
UConn (30-0) will try to achieve a perfect regular season on Sunday. St. John’s (21-9; 11-8 vs. Big East) is tied for fourth in the conference standings.
