No. 6 UConn, No. 13 St. John’s Red Storm prepared for third spherical of heavyweight struggle
NEW YORK — Throughout the season, it appeared inevitable that Big East heavyweights St. John’s and UConn would meet to resolve the convention match championship.
On Saturday evening, the extremely anticipated encounter will happen at what will probably be a packed Madison Square Garden when prime-seeded St. John’s (27-6) and second-seeded UConn (29-4) sq. off for the third time this season.
St. John’s compelled 15 turnovers and noticed Zuby Ejiofor whole 21 factors and 10 rebounds in an 81-72 residence win over the Huskies on Feb. 6.
The Huskies rolled to a 72-40 win in Hartford on Feb. 25, when the Red Storm missed their ultimate 24 photographs and didn’t get a basket for the ultimate 17 1/2 minutes.
“I just think both programs have really pushed each other the whole year,” UConn coach Dan Hurley mentioned Friday. “We’re a 29-win team, they’re a 27-win team. Two of the best teams in the country.
UConn is ranked sixth in the nation and St. John’s is 13th.
“Obviously it will be a demise match for the Big East championship, but additionally, you recognize, each of us have actually delivered for this league in a 12 months the place this league wants a recreation like this tomorrow evening that everybody that is a basketball fan’s going to be dialed into,” Hurley said. “So, yeah, it is thrilling. You knew there was going to be a 3rd spherical, and right here we’re.”
St. John’s, which has won five games in a row, is attempting to win consecutive titles for the first time in school history. The Red Storm reached the championship game in back-to-back seasons in 1985 and 1986 and split title games with UConn in 1999 and 2000.
St. John’s is attempting to win its fifth title in seven tries and second since 2000 after earning an 82-66 victory over Creighton last year.
The only starter from the 2025 title game is Ejiofor, the Big East Player of the Year. He has 41 total points in the Red Storm’s tournament victories over Providence and Seton Hall. On Friday, in a 78-68 semifinal win over pesky Seton Hall, Ejiofor scored 20 points in a game in which St. John’s never trailed and led by as many as 19.
“We’re taking part in for a championship,” St. John’s coach Rick Pitino said. “We performed for the common season as if our life was on the road. We’re going to play tomorrow as if our life is on the road. Then we’ll fear in regards to the (NCAA) match.”
The Red Storm advanced by getting key contributions from Joson Sanon, Dillon Mitchell and Bryce Hopkins. Sanon scored 15 off the bench, while Mitchell and Hopkins finished with 13 apiece and combined for 13 rebounds.
“For us new guys who weren’t a part of the workforce final 12 months, we wish it simply as unhealthy, and we’ve the identical kind of chip on our shoulder, like we’re defending it like if we received it final 12 months with them,” Mitchell said. “So it is nearly coming collectively, staying as one, going on the market to compete for 40 minutes.”
UConn is in the title game for the second time in three seasons. The Huskies are 8-3 in their previous trips to the championship game and tied with Georgetown for the most conference titles in Big East history.
The Huskies ended the regular season with a dismal 68-62 loss at Marquette last Saturday but responded nicely with double-digit wins over Xavier and Georgetown while never trailing in either game.
UConn followed its 93-68 victory over the Musketeers by keeping Georgetown at bay in a 67-51 victory Friday night.
The Huskies scored their most points this season in a regulation conference win on Thursday and saw big games from Solo Ball and Tarris Reed Jr. On Friday, UConn got a huge performance from Braylon Mullins to offset quiet showings from Ball and Reed.
Mullins scored 15 of his 21 points in the first half. For the game, he was 8-of-17 shooting and took all four of UConn’s free throws. Mullins finished four shy of his career high and made 12 of 26 shots from the floor in his first two tournament games after a 4-of-15 outing at Marquette.
“I’m so grateful to be within the place, and I feel we’re all grateful to be going into the Big East championship recreation,” Mullins said. “Being a freshman, there’s nowhere else I might need to be.”
–Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media
Copyright 2026 STATS LLC and Field Level Media. Any business use or distribution with out the specific written consent of STATS LLC and Field Level Media is strictly prohibited.
