No. 24 UCONN at ST. JOHN’S

When: Saturday, noon

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York

Records: UConn 16-7 (7-5 Big East), St. John’s 13-10 (5-7 Big East)

TV: FOX

Radio: UConn Sports Network, 97.9 FM-ESPN Hartford, Sirius-137, XM-206, SXM App-965, WAVZ-New Haven (1300 AM), WGCH- Greenwich (1490 AM), WATR-Waterbury (1320 AM), WILI-Willimantic (WILI 1400 AM)

KEEP AN EYE ON

Trouble in transition: UConn failed miserably in converting numerous transition opportunities and shot attempts around the rim in Friday night’s loss at Xavier. It’s a problem some players (Tyrese Martin, Adama Sanogo, Andre Jackson) have struggled with at times, but was a team-wide problem on Friday.

“I don’t know how many times we had 3-ond-1’s, 1-on-1’s, 2-on-1’s, 4-on-1’s, and they turned into just bizarre finishes at at the rim,” Hurley mused. “I don’t know how that happens. You can’t give away 12, 14 points in transition opportunities and walk away with no points, in a game that you lose by two possessions. They’re usually dunks and 3-point plays and scores at the rim.”

UConn must improve in that department immediately against St. John’s, a team whose pressure defense can create an uptempo game that leads to lots of transition opportunities.

Jalen jellin’?: One of the few bright spots for UConn against Xavier was Jalen Gaffney, who has struggled through his junior season. Gaffney scored seven points, all in the first half, and while that may not sound like much, it’s the most he’s scored in a game in nearly two months. Gaffney took the ball to the hole with authority several times in the opening half, something he hasn’t done enough this season.

“It was good to see,” Hurley said. “We needed that. I think it was important with

Jalen going into the St. John’s game, because they will come with the traps and pressure. They will get into you and force you to make plays off the dribble, and we don’t have a ton of guys that can do things off the dribble.”

Everything Posh? Posh Alexander, St. John’s sophomore guard who’s averaging 14.9 points and 5.2 assists per game, missed the Red Storm’s loss to Villanova on Tuesday with an ankle injury. Alexander, who shared the Big East’s Defensive Player of the Year award last season with UConn’s Isaiah Whaley and currently leads the league in steals, sustained the injury in St. John’s win over Butler on Feb. 5. He was sporting a walking boot and didn’t participate in warm-ups prior to Tuesday’s loss to Villanova.

Wheeler dealin’: Stamford’s Aaron Wheeler is coming off a career-best 31point effort in Tuesday’s loss to Villanova and has become a true force since joining the Red Storm’s starting lineup. He’s scored in double figures in 10 of the Johnnies’ last 11 games. Wheeler transferred from Purdue to play his final season in Queens.