Uconn Basketball preview: No. 6 UConn hosts No. 15 St. John’s in sold-out Hartford
uconn basketball returns to PeoplesBank Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 25, as No. 6 UConn (25-3, 15-2) hosts No. 15 St. John’s (22-5, 15-1) in a matchup that could pull the Huskies into a tie for first place in the Big East. The game matters now because it pairs the conference’s top two teams with regular-season positioning and tiebreaker consequences on the line.
Standings and records: a chance to tie for first
UConn enters the game 25-3 overall and 15-2 in league play; St. John’s checks in 22-5 and 15-1. A UConn win would move the Huskies into a tie with the Red Storm atop the Big East standings. The Huskies are no longer in sole control of a potential Big East regular-season title — they must beat St. John’s and also get help elsewhere to change the final order.
Rankings, metrics and what they say about each team
St. John’s sits at No. 15 in the Poll, is No. 22 in KenPom, and shows the No. 45 offense and the No. 15 defense nationally with a NET ranking of 23. UConn is No. 6 in the Poll, No. 11 in KenPom and No. 10 in the NET, and is credited with the 13th-most efficient defense in the country — a mark that followed a stretch in which the defense slipped after a rough four-game spell in early February.
UConn’s recent form and the Villanova rebound
uconn basketball looked to have steadied itself on Saturday with a quality win at Villanova built on a dominant second half and steady bench production. The Huskies’ defense, which had “fallen off a cliff” over the prior four games, turned in one of its best performances of the year: the Wildcats shot 41% from the field, some of Villanova’s top scorers were limited, and UConn swatted eight shots while protecting the paint unusually well. On Saturday the Huskies allowed just 63 points, including a late surge that added a few more points to the box score.
Head-to-head history and last meeting at Madison Square Garden
The programs have met 74 times, with St. John’s holding a 40-34 series edge. In the Dan Hurley era, UConn has won six of 11 matchups. The teams last faced one another on Feb. 6, 2026, when St. John’s beat UConn 81-72 at Madison Square Garden — a game that handed UConn its first conference loss and snapped the Huskies’ 18-game winning streak. Silas Demary Jr. led four Huskies in double figures in that game with 18 points.
Title tiebreaker scenario and availability details
The Big East title picture includes a specific tiebreaker scenario: if both teams finish 18-2 in league play, St. John’s would be awarded the regular-season title because of the tiebreaker rules and head-to-head comparisons against teams in descending order in the standings. As of now, everyone should be available for the Huskies; the conference availability report is released three hours before tip-off.
Broadcast, logistics, Creighton note and the coaches’ tension
Tip-off is scheduled for Wednesday, February 25 at 7: 00 p. m. at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Connecticut, with radio coverage on the UConn Sports Network and on Sirius XM 84 and Sirius/XM online streaming. KenPom’s predicted score for the matchup is UConn 76, St. John’s 70.
St. John’s has been playing well after a lackluster non-conference slate; Rick Pitino has the Red Storm positioned to make back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since the program made three straight from 1998–2000. In their most recent game, St. John’s handled Creighton by 29 points at Madison Square Garden; that follows Creighton’s own earlier 29-point win in Storrs.
Tension between Rick Pitino and Dan Hurley has become a notable subplot of the rivalry. Fans have taken an interest in the coaches’ chilly relationship, and every St. John’s–Connecticut meeting now invites attention to whether the interaction will replicate an uncomfortable moment from 32 years ago, when Temple’s John Chaney appeared ready to take a swing at UMass’ John Calipari in the press room — an incident in which Chaney reportedly yelled, “I’ll kill you!” at Calipari. It has not reached that level between Pitino and Hurley. Yet.
