MBB Minute: The most anticipated college basketball game of the 2025-26 season did not disappoint, as No. 22/22 St. John's earned an 81-72 victory over No. 3/3 UConn in front of a sold out crowd at Madison Square Garden.  The win for the Red Storm extended their win streak to nine games, while the loss snapped the Huskies' 18-game win streak, which began on Nov. 23.

Friday, Feb. 6

St. John's 81, UConn 72 - Box Score 

• Zuby Ejiofor finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks, and two steals to lead No. 22/22 St. John's past No. 3/3 UConn in front of a capacity crowd at the World's Most Famous Arena.  
• The senior forward made 6-of-10 shots from the floor and 8-of-10 from the charity stripe.  
• Neither team gained more than a six-point advantage in the first half; UConn led 16-10 with 13:50 to play in the period, while SJU took a 23-17 lead at the 10:10 mark.  
• There were six lead changes and four ties, including a 39-39 score at intermission.  
• UConn's Solo Ball 3-pointer early in the second half made it 45-45 before a 10-0 run by St. John's gave it the lead for good. Capped by a Bryce Hopkins' 3-pointer with 13:03 to play.  
• The Huskies cut the deficit to one point twice, the last coming off a Silas Demary Jr. layup which made it 66-65 with 4:46 remaining.  
• SJU would outscore UConn 15-7 the rest of the way.  
• Dillon Mitchell had 15 points and six rebounds, while Bryce Hopkins chipped in with 14 points and six boards for the Johnnies.  
• UConn was led by 18 points from Silas Demary Jr., who also added seven rebounds and five assists.  
• Alex Karaban tallied an efficient 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-4 from the perimeter.  Tarris Reed Jr. added 12 points and Braylon Mullins 11.

Of Note:

• Dating back to last season, St. John's has won three straight against Connecticut.
• It was St. John's' highest-ranked win since Feb. 3, 2021, when it defeated No. 3/3 Villanova at Carnesecca Arena; it was the highest-ranked victory for the Red Storm at Madison Square Garden since taking down No. 3/3 Duke on Jan. 30, 2011
• Since Jan. 6, SJU's Bryce Hopkins is averaging 14.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game
• UConn's 18 straight wins marked the third-longest win streak in program history
• Alex Karaban made his 134th career start at UConn - one short of the program record, held by Jake Voskuhl (1996-2000)

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Today's Action: Saturday features four games in BIG EAST play, beginning with Villanova at Georgetown at noon ET on TNT, truTV, and HBO Max.  FS1 has a BIG EAST doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. ET with Butler at Marquette, followed by DePaul at Providence at 4 p.m.  Saturday's action concludes with a matchup with Seton Hall and Creighton in Omaha at 6 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBC Sports Network.

Saturday, Feb. 7

TNT & truTV; HBO Max
Villanova at Georgetown - Noon ET
Brian Anderson (pxp); Grant Hill (analyst); Andy Katz (reporter)

FS1
Butler at Marquette - 2 p.m. ET
Noah Reed (pxp); Phil Martelli (analyst)

DePaul at Providence - 4 p.m. ET
Dave Sims (pxp); Vin Parise (analyst)

Peacock; NBC Sports Network
Seton Hall at Creighton - 6 p.m. ET
Pete Sousa (pxp); Jess Settles (analyst)

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This Week in the BIG EAST Podcast:  Xavier head coach Richard Pitino, Marquette's Nigel James Jr., and ESPN analyst and former Marquette head coach Tom Crean are the guests on the sixth episode of This Week in the BIG EAST.  Now in its 12th season, This Week In The BIG EAST (#TWITBE) is distributed by Westwood One radio and is available wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.  

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BIG EAST Men's Basketball Public Availability Reports:  Beginning in 2025-26, the BIG EAST Conference will provide public reports on the availability of student-athletes in conference games in the sports of men's and women's basketball. 

Men's Basketball Availability Report

BIG EAST schools will be required to submit availability reports three hours before the scheduled tipoff time.  Under the reporting structure, players will be designated as "questionable" or "out."  Availability reports will be posted on the BIG EAST website throughout the 2025-26 season.