Live updates: No. 3 UConn vs. No. 22 St. John's at Madison Square Garden

The UConn men's basketball team is facing off against No. 22 St. John's Friday evening as the Huskies look to retain sole possession of first place in the conference standings and continue a historic start in Big East play. 

UConn has once again found a higher gear as the calendar turns to February, winning its past two games against Xavier and Creighton by a combined 59 points. Meanwhile, Rick Pitino has steadied the Johnnies after a disappointing run through non-conference play, as the Red Storm are winners of eight-straight games heading into Friday's matchup. 

Here's everything you need to know as UConn and St. John's duke it out from the World's Most Famous Arena:

How to watch

Friday's matchup will air on FOX and is set to tip off at 8 p.m. ET. It will also be available over the radio on UConn Sports Network, Fox Sports Radio 97.9 and a series of local affiliates. 

Matchup preview: UConn vs. St. John's

Pitino and UConn's Dan Hurley's have taken the same defense-first approach to different extremes this season. UConn operates at the second-slowest pace of any Big East team this season, constructing the nation's fifth-most efficient defense primarily by allowing just a 44% effective field-goal percentage, while the uptempo Johnnies force the second-most turnovers in the conference - the only team better, Seton Hall, forced UConn into a 10 second-half turnovers during a near Huskies collapse at the Prudential Center. 

However, St. John's is uniquely suited to exploit the few weaknesses in UConn's defensive approach. The Huskies are among the most foul-happy teams in the country, allowing nearly 41 foul shots for every 100 field goal attempts, while St. John's ranks third in the Big East for free-throw rate. Additionally, the Red Storm are the No. 11 team nationally in offensive rebounding rate, concerning for a UConn team that has struggled on the defensive glass during recent weeks. 

Dan Hurley vs. Rick Pitino

Two of the most divisive coaches in college basketball have been fairly evenly matched since Rick Pitino accepted the St. John's job ahead of the 2023-24 season, with each recording a regular-season sweep. UConn narrowly escaped the Red Storm during the pair's first-ever meeting in December 2023, as UConn erased an 8-point second-half deficit to win 69-65 at the XL Center, and Hurley later earned a pair of wins at Madison Square Garden, including a Big East tournament semifinal triumph. 

However, as UConn suffered a rare down year under Dan Hurley last year, Pitino stepped up to earn a dominant Big East regular-season title and revenge over the Huskies. This time it was UConn who squandered a multi-possession, second-half lead to St. John's in the teams' first meeting last season, while the Red Storm cruised 89-75 in a rematch two weeks later.  

This article originally published at Live updates: No. 3 UConn vs. No. 22 St. John's at Madison Square Garden.