UConn basketball, St. John’s meet at Big East’s pinnacle
The echoes of last February’s overwhelming 14-point drubbing in Madison Square Garden still reverberate through Dan Hurley’s mind.
“It’s just different,” Hurley said bluntly.
It was gut-wrenching. Mortifying. Humiliating. St. John’s opened up a 22-point lead and converted 18 Husky turnovers into 24 points in front of a raucous MSG crowd, clinching a season sweep of reeling UConn.
The Huskies haven’t forgotten that feeling from last February; they’ve let it fester, slowly bubbling on the back burner while they’ve torn through the rest of the country.
No. 3 Connecticut (22-1, 12-0), with the wind of an 18-game win streak at its back, heads south to duel with its chief adversary, No. 22 St. John’s (17-5, 10-1), in Madison Square Garden Friday at 8 p.m.
“It’s a different electricity. It’s a different atmosphere, a different level of intensity, of intention and passion,” Hurley said. “The fanbases, I’m sure, loathe each other.”
Scouting the Johnnies – where UConn needs to win
Much like the third-ranked Huskies, Rick Pitino’s positionless Red Storm squad is playing the best basketball of its season heading into Friday’s heavyweight prize fight; St. John’s has won 13 of its last 15, including eight in a row dating back to Jan. 6.
The Johnnies have been especially efficient since Jan. 17, when they pummeled Villanova on the Wildcats’ homecourt before staving off Seton Hall in the Garden and rolling Butler by 22.
Zuby Ejiofor, the favorite to win Big East Player of the Year, is the straw that stirs the Red Storm’s drink. Ejiofor’s four double-doubles rank fourth in the Big East, and, if the true senior’s performance against the Huskies last year at the Garden (a resounding 18-point, 9-rebound clinic) isn’t already indicative of his penchant for dominating the low post, his 15.7 point average comes on only five made field goals per night.
But it was the emergence of Cincinnati transfer forward Dillon Mitchell that ignited the Johnnies’ mid-season renaissance. After coming off the bench for the first 12 games, Mitchell’s carved out a role in the Red Storm frontcourt as a hardy rebounder and, recently, a go-to scorer.
“There’s obviously a big difference in their team when inserting Mitchell into the lineup,” Hurley said. “What he brings defensively, what he brings from a rebounding perspective, what he brings on the ball in their pressure man… he’s made a huge difference.”
Bryce Hopkins is there, too. The much-maligned Providence transfer has pieced together an extremely efficient – and healthy – season in Queens, marrying over 13 points with 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and a steal per night.
“Hopkins, Zuby and Mitchell, they’re like men,” Hurley said of the Red Storm frontcourt. “They play with great physicality. That plays really well in Big East conference play.”
They aren’t sterling, however. St. John’s ranks outside the top 200 in paint points and second chance points allowed per game, according to CBB Analytics.
Buying second chance opportunities through the center duo of Tarris Reed Jr. and Eric Reibe is a must for Connecticut.
But if Reed doesn’t miss, it won’t matter. The true senior is shooting 95% from the field over his last 20 attempts while Reibe has shot a respectable 19-of-23 in his last five games. Feed the hot hand.
Taking advantage of a somewhat disjointed Red Storm backcourt is the most important “must” for the Huskies.
Pitino’s positionless philosophy spread the scoring wealth four deep to start the year, and the Johnnies still are without a definitive, go-to scorer outside of Ejiofor and Hopkins.
St. John’s doesn’t attempt 3-pointers often (34.6% of shots, 286th in the country), and while they make them when they do (35.5%), Connecticut can take advantage of the Red Storm’s Achilles’ heel by getting early looks for marksmen Solo Ball and Braylon Mullins.
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