UConn men prepare for clash of titans vs. St. John’s

Rick Pitino wanted a point guard during his transfer portal shopping spree this offseason.

He wanted Silas Demary Jr.

The Hall of Famer pursued Demary out of high school three years ago, after he decommitted from USC and before he decided on Georgia. The Red Storm hosted him again last March, but he and his family continued their tour of the top teams in the Big East and fell in love with UConn later that same week.

A big, 6-foot-4 two-way guard, Demary has been a revelation for the Huskies.

A conductor of the offense who’s proven he can find ways to get his own, while also leading the charge in turning around the defensive issues of last year, the junior has been a necessary addition for Dan Hurley’s team in returning to championship contention.

UConn, ranked No. 3, is riding an 18-game winning streak and has yet to lose in 12 league games.

Conversely, all of the talk surrounding St. John’s as it fell from its top-10 preseason ranking was centered around the point guard position. The Jonnies signed the most talented transfer class in the country, addressed the shooting woes that sunk them in the NCAA Tournament, but they didn’t have a natural connector.

Now, past the midway point in the Big East season, they’ve found their stride heading into Friday’s much-anticipated top 25 matchup at Madison Square Garden.

Pitino ultimately landed on North Carolina transfer Ian Jackson, a former top-10 prospect and a natural two-guard, to run the point. It wasn’t the smoothest adjustment, but the Johnnies have seen it pay off. Back in the rankings at No. 22, they carry an eight-game winning streak into the matchup that’s been circled on both teams’ schedules since before the schedules were created.

Both teams have separated themselves, once again, as the class of the Big East.

“A top-20 St. John’s team, top-20 UConn team playing at MSG, in New York City at the Mecca, it’s a different electricity, it’s a different atmosphere, it’s a different level of intensity, tension and passion, fanbases that I’m sure loathe each other,” Hurley said on a call Thursday. “There are some incredible rivalries in college basketball, but I don’t know that any of them will be able to produce the electricity just when you add in that MSG and New York City element with two teams that look like contenders for the Big East and have great potential to play well in March.”

The Hurley-Pitino rivalry, which neither of them consider a rivalry, began when they first shared the sidelines in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

It has been back-and-forth since Pitino took over at St. John’s. UConn won all three matchups in its historic 2023-24 season, setting the league record at 18 wins and winning dual championships before a second-straight run of dominance in the NCAA Tournament. St. John’s answered with a 2-0 series sweep last year as it matched the 18-win mark, winning dual championships in the league before shooting 28% from the field and 2-for-22 from 3 in a second round loss to John Calipari and Arkansas.

Pitino addressed the shooting woes with the additions of Jackson, Oziyah Sellers, Joson Sanon and Dylan Darling, who are each shooting above 35% from 3 on the year. But the Red Storm’s success has still come in the same ways it did with Kadary Richmond and RJ Luis manning the backcourt: points off turnovers, second-chance points, and free throws.

Right behind UConn at No. 26 in offensive efficiency, St. John’s leads the Big East and is top-15 nationally in offensive rebounds per game. It is second in the league in turnover margin, behind only Seton Hall, and has taken the most free throws in the league at 26.5 per game, which ranks 12th nationally.

Key matchups

Tarris Reed Jr. vs. Zuby Ejiofor.

Speaking of free throws, the whistle will go a long way in how this collision of titans goes. Reed, 6-11, 265 pounds, and Ejiofor, the Big East Preseason Player of the Year at 6-9, 245 pounds, will be going at each other all night. The two best centers in the league, and two of the best nationally, it will be a constant battle for positioning as both teams try to establish themselves in the paint and earn extra possessions on the glass.

Reed is averaging 14.1 points per game to Ejiofor’s 15.7, and 7.8 rebounds to Ejiofor’s 7.5.

Alex Karaban vs. Bryce Hopkins.

Remember Bryce Hopkins? Despite him never leaving the Big East, this will be the first time the 6-foot-9 forward plays against the Huskies since the 2022-23 season, when he was at Providence before an ACL injury. He got the best of a young Karaban in the first matchup when he went for 27 points and got to the foul line 15 times. That game inspired Karaban to improve defensively to where he is today as the ninth-highest rated defender in the league.

“Not having to deal with Bryce, I mean it’s been kind of nice to be honest with you. Guy’s a heck of a player,” Hurley said. “The matchup with Alex, whether they’re guarding each other or not, they’re two of the best combo forwards in college… For AK, that game was a low point in terms of his defense and I think that game opened his eyes, toughened him up, woke him up, because he’s just been a different type of all-around player from that night when we got our (butts) kicked at Providence.”

Hopkins, sharing the court with former top-5 prospect Dillon Mitchell – another athletic, kind of point forward and strong rebounder the Huskies will struggle to match up with – is averaging 13.6 points and 5.5 rebounds on the year.

What to know

Site: Madison Square Garden, New York.

Time: 8 p.m.

Records: No. 3 UConn: 22-1 (12-0 Big East), No. 22 St. John’s: 17-5 (10-1)

Series: St. John’s leads, 39-34.

Last meeting: Feb. 23, 2025 – No. 10 St. John’s 89, UConn 75 at Madison Square Garden.

TV: FOX – Gus Johnson, Jim Jackson, Allison Williams

Radio: UConn Sports Network on FOX Sports Radio 97-9 – Mike Crispino, Wayne Norman