No. 6 UConn Aims to Halt No. 15 St. John's Winning Streak

Big East rivals meet with conference title race on the line

Feb. 24, 2026 at 12:35pm

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The sixth-ranked UConn Huskies will host the 15th-ranked St. John's Red Storm in a crucial Big East matchup on Wednesday. St. John's currently holds a 1.5-game lead atop the conference standings, and a win would further solidify their position. UConn, meanwhile, is looking to avenge their earlier loss to St. John's and move into a tie for first place. Both teams are riding hot streaks, with St. John's winning 13 straight and UConn bouncing back from a loss to Creighton with a win over Villanova.

Why it matters

This game will have major implications in the race for the Big East regular season title and the top seed at the conference tournament. St. John's is looking to continue their impressive run and create some separation at the top, while UConn is aiming to keep pace and potentially overtake them in the standings.

The details

When the teams met in New York on Feb. 6, St. John's pulled away late for an 81-72 victory. The Red Storm have won 13 straight games, their longest winning streak since 1984-85. UConn had its 18-game overall winning streak snapped in that first matchup, committing 15 turnovers. The Huskies bounced back with wins over Butler and Georgetown, but then lost at home to Creighton. UConn responded with a 73-63 victory at Villanova on Saturday, led by strong defensive play and balanced scoring.

  • The teams first met on Feb. 6 in New York, with St. John's winning 81-72.
  • St. John's has won 13 straight games, the longest streak since 1984-85.
  • UConn had its 18-game overall winning streak snapped in the first matchup with St. John's.
  • UConn lost at home to Creighton a week ago, before beating Villanova on Saturday.

The players

Dylan Darling

A reserve guard for St. John's who led the team in scoring for the second time in three games with 17 points in a win over Creighton.

Bryce Hopkins

A St. John's forward who recorded his second straight double-double, earning Big East player of the week honors.

Dillon Mitchell

A St. John's forward who collected 10 rebounds in the win over Creighton.

Dan Hurley

The head coach of the UConn Huskies, who referred to his team's defense in the loss to Creighton as "a joke" before they bounced back with a win over Villanova.

Alex Karaban

A UConn player who scored 12 points against Villanova after being held to just 2 in the loss to Creighton.

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What they’re saying

“We're going to have to be engaged in that the whole time and be prepared.”

— Dylan Darling, St. John's guard

“It's just all about preparation now. We played a great defensive game today, and we're going to need another next week.”

— Dillon Mitchell, St. John's forward

“We played elite-level defense, and we were pretty sharp on offense when we got shots on goal. Obviously the turnover situation reared its ugly head, but I just thought we rebounded the ball, we guarded, we played offense at a high level and our depth kicked in. That's kind of like bulletproof basketball right there.”

— Dan Hurley, UConn head coach

“For the rest of the way here, it's like, St. John's is not gonna lose -- I imagine -- any more than two games, obviously they're coming to us next. So we can't afford to lose another game in the regular season in the Big East if we want to win the league.”

— Dan Hurley, UConn head coach

What’s next

The winner of Wednesday's game will take a big step towards securing the top seed in the Big East tournament.

The takeaway

This matchup between two of the Big East's top teams will have major implications in the race for the conference regular season title. Both squads are playing excellent basketball, setting the stage for a highly anticipated showdown with significant postseason implications.