Rick Pitino is back and he brought St. John’s right back with him. The 12th-ranked Johnnies are off to their best start since 1986, 20-3 after a Tuesday night win over No. 11 Marquette at Madison Square Garden. That win cemented St. John’s, which leads the Big East at 11-1, as a true contender for the conference title. Still, even when you’re Rick Pitino, to be the best… you’ve got to beat Dan Hurley.
This was a real quote from Dan Hurley tonight to referee Nathan Farrell:
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) January 22, 2025
“Don’t turn your back on me. I’m the best coach in the f*cking sport.”
Hurley’s UConn Huskies are the two-time reigning national champions and despite a slow start that has them ranked No. 19 at 16-6 (8-3), his team looks poised to make another deep run in March. Hurley vs. Pitino. What more could you possibly ask for out of Big East Friday night basketball?
How to watch St. John’s vs. UConn
- Date: Saturday, February 1
- Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: Harry A. Gampel Pavilion
- How to Watch (TV): FOX
- Streaming: fubo TV
- St. John’s record: 20-3
- UConn record: 16-6
St. John’s vs. UConn odds, spread and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Moneyline
- St. John’s +106
- UConn -128
Spread
- St. John’s +1.5 (-108)
- Duke -1.5 (-112)
Total
- 141.5 (over -115/under -105)
St. John’s injury report
- Brady Dunlap, F: Out (hand)
UConn injury report
- Liam McNeeley, F: Probable (ankle)
- Ahmad Nowell, G: Questionable (ankle)
UConn and St. John’s series history
- UConn all-time record vs. St. John’s: 37-34
- UConn 4-0 in last 4 (including 2024 Big East Tournament semifinal)
St. John’s vs. UConn prediction
Despite entering Tuesday’s win over Marquette at 19-3, St. John’s needed to prove that it truly belonged with the best teams in the Big East. To that point, Pitino’s group had only played Creighton out of the conference’s upper echelon, and the Bluejays had beaten them 57-56 in Omaha. But after St. John’s 70-64 win over the Golden Eagles, it’s hard to have any more questions.
The Johnnies did not shoot the ball well on Tuesday, just 41.7% from the field and 17/31 from the free throw line, but they pounded Marquette on the backcourts. Clearly the more athletic and physical team, St. John’s – which is 14th in the country in offensive rebound percentage – pulled down 21 offensive boards and closed the game with a 22 rebound advantage. UConn won’t be so easy to push around.
The Huskies grab defensive rebounds at a 72% rate, much better than Marquette’s 69%, which is the worst in the conference. With Tarris Reed Jr. and Samson Johnson, the Huskies won’t be nearly as susceptible to giving up second-chance points, which means the Johnnies need to knock down shots, which they don’t always do reliably. UConn, on the other hand, is getting one of its best shot-makers, freshman forward Liam McNeeley, who is averaging 13.6 points and hasn’t played since New Year’s Day, back from an ankle injury.
McNeeley’s return will be a huge boost, but so was his absence. Without the star freshman, sophomore point guard Solo Ball was forced to shoulder a more significant offensive workload and is suddenly a budding star. With Ball’s playmaking, UConn will get much better looks in the half-court than Marquette did, and the Huskies will put up more resistance on the boards. St. John’s belongs in the Big East title conversation, but I have to take the Huskies to win this one at home.