College basketball fans circled the February 25, 2026, showdown between No. 6 UConn and No. 15 St. John’s on their calendars months in advance. The stakes couldn’t have been higher at Hartford’s PeoplesBank Arena: the winner would take the lead in the Big East regular season title race, and both teams entered with plenty to prove. But as the final buzzer sounded, only one team had rewritten the narrative—and the record books. UConn delivered a defensive masterclass, routing St. John’s 72-40 and handing the Red Storm their most lopsided loss under legendary coach Rick Pitino.
Coming into the game, St. John’s boasted a 13-game winning streak—the second-longest in the nation—and had already toppled UConn earlier in February at Madison Square Garden. That earlier defeat stung for the Huskies, who had cruised through their first 12 Big East games before stumbling against the Red Storm. UConn’s coach Dan Hurley was candid about the stakes: his team needed a win to stay in contention for the Big East title. The atmosphere inside PeoplesBank Arena was electric, with the home crowd roaring from the opening tip.
From the outset, UConn’s intensity was palpable. The Huskies’ starting five—Solo Ball, Silas Demary Jr., Braylon Mullins, Alex Karaban, and Tarris Reed Jr.—set the tone early. Reed, the 6-foot-11 senior center, was everywhere, dominating both ends of the floor. By halftime, he’d already tallied 12 points and was a force in the paint, neutralizing St. John’s star big man Zuby Ejiofor. The Huskies raced out to a 31-11 lead midway through the first half, thanks in part to an 18-0 run that sent the crowd into a frenzy. Alex Karaban’s clutch three-pointer and subsequent fast-break dunk nearly blew the roof off the arena, while backup guard Malachi Smith’s and-one layup kept the momentum squarely with UConn.
St. John’s, usually so reliable under Pitino, looked rattled. The Red Storm managed just 26 first-half points and struggled to find any offensive rhythm. “That’s probably only happened to me two times in my career,” Pitino admitted to reporters after the game. “It’s all on me, I’m very disappointed in our performance, offensively especially.” For a coach whose career has spanned 1,224 games, that’s saying something.
The second half was a nightmare for the Johnnies. After Ejiofor’s layup with 17:49 remaining, St. John’s simply stopped scoring from the field. UConn’s defense was relentless, forcing the Red Storm to miss their final 24 field goal attempts. The only points St. John’s could muster down the stretch came from the free-throw line. By game’s end, they hadn’t hit a field goal in an unfathomable 17 minutes and 28 seconds. The numbers were staggering: St. John’s shot just 22% from the floor and managed only .643 points per possession. The 40 points were the fewest ever by a Pitino-led team.
UConn, meanwhile, looked every bit the championship contender. Reed finished with a monstrous stat line: 20 points, 11 rebounds, and six blocks. He was the linchpin of a defense that smothered St. John’s at every turn. Hurley, who’s often been critical of Reed’s consistency, was quick to highlight his senior’s impact. “You try a lot of things as a coach,” Hurley told the Daily Mail. “You try guilt, you try shame, you try encouragement, you try confidence building. You try not talking to him. You try hugging him. You try a lot of different things. And you just hope that the light switch goes on for the player. And maybe for him, his career is winding down. He’s got a lot on the line. It’s finally starting to resonate. He’s one of the most talented players in all of college basketball that hasn’t quite found the identity, the consistency, the focus. If he finds it, it’s the first time he’s been able to put together two games like this. So hopefully, the pain of the struggles causes the change.”
It wasn’t just Reed making noise. Upperclassmen Solo Ball and Alex Karaban both finished in double figures, providing steady scoring and leadership throughout. Silas Demary Jr. might’ve had a quiet night offensively, but he chipped in with five assists and eight rebounds, helping to control the tempo and keep St. John’s off balance. Even the Huskies’ bench got in on the act, with reserves Dwayne Koroma and Alec Millender contributing late—Koroma’s dunk on his first possession was the cherry on top for the home crowd.
UConn’s suffocating defense was the story of the night. The Huskies held St. John’s to just eight points in the second half and didn’t let up, even with a 36-point lead in the final minutes. With 5:15 to play, UConn led 65-34 and continued to press, refusing to give the Red Storm any breathing room. The defensive effort was as much about pride as it was about the standings. The Huskies had allowed 91 points in their previous meeting with St. John’s, but this time, they flipped the script.
The win pulled UConn into a tie for first place in the Big East standings, though St. John’s retained the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament due to tiebreakers. Still, if Villanova managed to topple St. John’s over the weekend, UConn would seize control of the top seed—a tantalizing prospect for Huskies fans. For the Red Storm, the loss was a gut punch, snapping their impressive win streak and raising questions about how they’ll respond with the postseason looming.
Of course, the Big East is never short on drama. UConn’s victory not only avenged their earlier loss to the Johnnies but sent a message to the rest of the conference: when the Huskies lock in defensively, they’re a force to be reckoned with. The crowd in Hartford certainly thought so, their cheers echoing long after the final whistle.
With the regular season winding down and the conference tournament on the horizon, both teams know there’s still plenty to play for. But on this night, UConn’s dominance was absolute, and their defensive performance will be remembered as one of the most remarkable in program—and Big East—history.