MEN’S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY
NO. 18 UCONN AT ST. JOHN’S
When: Saturday, noon
Where: Madison Square Garden
Records: UConn 21-7 (10-7 Big East), St. John’s 17-12 (7-11 Big East)
TV: CBS
Radio: UConn Sports Network, WAVZNew Haven (1300 AM), WGCH- Greenwich (1490 AM), WATR-Waterbury (1320 AM), WICH-Norwich (1310 AM, 94.5 FM), WILI-Wilimantic (1400 AM, 95.3 FM), 97.9 FM-ESPN Hartford, SiriusXM-983, SXM App 973
KEEP AN EYE ON
Hitting the trifecta?: Jordan Hawkins called it the “revenge tour.” The last leg of it is on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
When the UConn men’s basketball team tips off against St. John’s, it will be the third straight game the Huskies will have played against a team that had defeated them earlier in the season. UConn is 2-0 so far, with wins over Seton Hall on Feb. 18 and Providence on Wednesday night, both at Gampel Pavilion.
This time, the Huskies will be in their “home away from home,” Madison Square Garden, to face St. John’s. The Red Storm beat UConn 85-74 in Hartford on Jan. 15, a loss Dan Hurley still can’t explain. St. John’s has won four of 10 since then, though one of those wins was against Providence at the Garden.
The Johnnies have talent, led by Joel Soriano, who is second in the nation only to Purdue’s Zach Edey in double-doubles, veteran point guard Posh Alexander and fellow guard A.J. Storr, one of the better freshmen in the Big East. But there seems to be a red storm brewing around the program, with talented Illinois transfer and New York native Andre Curbelo relegated to the bench and seemingly in the doghouse, while some are calling for head coach Mike Anderson to be fired as the Johnnies appear headed to a fourth straight season with no NCAA tournament bid.
Still, Anderson and the Red Storm have been a nuisance to UConn since Dan Hurley took over as head coach, splitting their four meetings. UConn’s two wins came last season, in overtime at Gampel and by just three points at the Garden. On a roll: The Huskies have played much better lately, winning five of their last six, including resounding home wins over No. 10 Marquette and No. 20 Providence. They’re starting to look much more like the team that began the season 14-0 and was ranked No. 2 in the country, as opposed to the team that inexplicably lost to St. John’s at home on Jan. 15.