St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino coaches against the Seton Hall Pirates during the first half at Madison Square Garden. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect The Big East rematch we were all hoping for is here.
St. John’s will take on UConn in the tournament championship game on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in a matchup between two college basketball heavyweights.
It’ll be the third time these teams face off this season, having already had two wildly different finishes.
In the first contest in February, the Johnnies handled the Huskies, pulling away in the second-half to end their 18-game win streak with an 81-72 victory.
St. John’s was embarrassed in the regular season rematch, getting blown out 72-40, ending a long 13-game winning streak of their own, at PeoplesBank Arena in their worst loss of the Rick Pitino era.
While that’s two wildly different outcomes to try to glean something from, one thing is for certain: UConn center Tarris Reed Jr. has been dominant in the paint on defense.
UConn forward Tarris Reed Jr. (5) blocks Georgetown guard Jeremiah Williams (25) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Big East tournament, Friday, March 13, 2026, in New York. AP The 6-foot-11 Huskie has nine blocks, including six in the blowout win, across the two games versus St John’s, and has held Red Storm’s star forward Zuby Ejiofor in check.
The Johnnies’ leading scorer has averaged just 13.5 points across the two games with Reed looming near the hoop.
After playing in just 23 minutes in an easy win over Georgetown on Friday, Reed should be fresh and ready to bring it on defense on Saturday in their biggest game of the year yet.
The plays: Tarris Reed Jr. to have more than 1.5 blocks and Zuby Ejiofor to score fewer than 16.5 points (bet365 Sportsbook, -120)
Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
