The marquee game of Friday night tips off at Madison Square Garden, where two of the hottest teams in college basketball collide. UConn heads to New York City riding an 18-game winning streak, while St. John’s has surged through January and into February with eight straight wins of its own. With first-place positioning, résumé strength, and bragging rights on the line, this Big East showdown has all the ingredients of a March-level atmosphere.
UConn enters the matchup at 22-1 overall, fresh off a dominant home win over Xavier. The Huskies sit atop the Big East standings, and their lone loss this season came by four points against top-ranked Arizona. This game begins a short two-game road swing before UConn returns home to face Georgetown and Creighton, followed by another road test at Villanova.
St. John’s has quietly been just as impressive. Rick Pitino’s group is 17-5 overall and did not lose a game after an early-January setback against Providence. The Red Storm most recently handled DePaul 68-56 in Chicago and have picked up quality experience against elite competition, with losses this season coming against Kentucky, Auburn, Iowa State, and Alabama. After Friday night, St. John’s stays home to face Xavier before road trips to Providence and Marquette.
The two programs will meet again later this month, when St. John’s returns the trip to UConn on February 25.
UConn vs. St. John’s: when and where
Date: Friday, February 6, 2026
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
UConn vs. St. John’s: where to watch or stream
TV: FOX
Streaming: FuboTV
UConn vs. St. John’s: betting odds
Spread: UConn -1.5 | St. John’s +1.5
Moneyline: UConn -125 | St. John’s +120
Total: 145
UConn vs. St. John’s: series history
All-time series: UConn leads 32-23
Last meeting: St. John’s defeated UConn 89-75 on February 23, 2025
Projected starting lineups
UConn Huskies
- Solo Ball (#1) – 14.3 ppg
- Tarris Reed Jr. (#5) – 14.1 ppg
- Alex Karaban (#11) – 13.3 ppg
- Braylon Mullins (#24) – 11.8 ppg
- Silas Demary Jr. (#2) – 10.9 ppg
St. John’s Red Storm
- Zuby Ejiofor (#24) – 15.7 ppg
- Bryce Hopkins (#23) – 13.6 ppg
- Oziyah Sellers (#4) – 11.0 ppg
- Ian Jackson (#11) – 11.0 ppg
- Dillon Mitchell (#1) – 9.4 ppg
Big East showdown at the Garden
This game feels like a statement opportunity for both sides. UConn has been the league’s standard all season, but St. John’s already proved at Madison Square Garden last year that it can knock off the Huskies on this floor. Dan Hurley will undoubtedly remind his team of that result, while Rick Pitino’s group looks to defend its home court and continue its momentum.
With two red-hot teams, contrasting styles, and a tournament-level environment, Friday night at the Garden should deliver one of the best games of the regular season and a preview of what March could hold for both programs.