It does not get bigger than the two best teams in the Big East squaring off at the Garden
If you were living under a rock and needed some reason to get excited for Friday’s game between St. John’s and UConn, here’s a simple gist: The first matchup of the season between the two best teams in the Big East, who are both ranked, each led by National Championship-winning head coaches who don’t do a good job of hiding their distaste of their rival, at the venue most synonymous with the conference’s brand.
Welcome to the thread for Friday’s St. John’s men’s basketball matchup against UConn. Please be respectful in the comment section and do not share any illegal streams of the game.
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Game information
Who: No. 3 UConn Huskies (22-1, 12-0 Big East) vs. No. 22 St. John’s Red Storm (17-5, 10-1 Big East)
When: Friday, February 6, 2026, 8:00 p.m.
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
TV: FOX
Radio:ESPN New York 880 / 1050
Series History: St. John’s leads all-time series, 39-34. Last year, the Red Storm swept the season series for the first time since 1999-00. Friday’s game will be the first ranked-on-ranked matchup at Madison Square Garden between the two programs since the 2000 Big East Championship game.
KenPom Predicted Score: UConn to win, 73-72 (47% chance of St. John’s win)
Injury news
There is no injury news to report for Friday’s game.
Pregame links
- Rick Pitino discusses coaching future, next year’s St. John’s roster with Jon Rothstein
- St. John’s braces for major measuring stick with first UConn showdown: ‘Different electricity’ — Zach Braziller, New York Post
- How a St. John’s win over UConn would impact NCAA Tournament seeding for Rick Pitino’s club — Adam Zagoria, Zagsblog.com
- Presumptive trilogy between St. John’s and UConn is great for fans but bad for Big East — Kevin Connelly, Storm The Paint
- St. John’s would make name for itself with win over UConn — Roger Rubin, Newsday
- John Fanta, Jeff Borzello, and Jon Rothstein set the stage for Friday night’s big time battle in a roundtable discussion
Category: General Sports