UConn’s two St. John’s dates could frame the Big East race

UConn’s Big East schedule provides a useful pair of markers: a trip to St. John’s on Jan. 26 and a home game against the Red Storm on Feb. 27.

Those games are more than two dates to circle. They are separated by enough conference play for a team to change its rotation, solve an offensive problem or discover a weakness opponents keep targeting.

UConn visits the Red Storm after a stretch that includes Providence, Butler and Georgetown. The return meeting comes near the end of the regular season, shortly before the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden.

What UConn can learn from the first meeting

The Huskies’ current roster lists senior guards Solo Ball and Silas Demary Jr., along with freshman Junior County and sophomore forward Nik Khamenia. Those are real options for coach Dan Hurley, but a roster does not tell fans exactly how a team will handle every opponent by late January.

The first St. John’s game should test UConn’s ability to remain organized against a major conference rival away from home. Which guard controls the pace when a possession breaks down? Which combinations defend without giving up easy rebounds? Those are questions that matter more than an early prediction about the winner.

The rematch can show what changed

By Feb. 27, both staffs will have studied the first matchup and weeks of additional league games. A successful adjustment in the return meeting might come from a different defensive assignment, improved spacing or simply a player earning a larger role.

UConn’s schedule then sends the Huskies to Xavier on March 2 before the Big East tournament opens March 10. That makes the home date against St. John’s a late-season checkpoint, not the finish line.

Fans should resist turning either regular-season meeting into a definitive verdict. The more useful exercise is comparing them. A contender must do more than play well once against a rival. It must show that it can learn, adjust and remain dangerous when the rival gets another chance.

That is the story these two dates could tell.

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