UConn Basketball falls at home 68-62 to Big East leader St. John’s.
A matchup of two top 20 teams on a Friday night on a national broadcast, it doesn’t get much better than that. The home crowd at Gampel Pavilion matched that hype with some incredible energy throughout the entire forty minutes of this contest.
Husky nation was especially loud in the opening six minutes of the game when UConn basketball jumped out to a 24-10 lead. Solo Ball and Jaylin Stewart each scored eight points during this stretch as it seemed like the Huskies could do no wrong on the court. Factor in Liam McNeeley making his long-awaited return and Storrs felt this game may turn into a demolition derby.
St. John’s turned things around quickly as they ended the half on a 27-11 scoring run. Their effort defensively, especially applying ball pressure, deserves a ton of credit as the 2nd ranked defense in the country held the 12th-ranked offensive to just 38 points over the last 33 minutes of the game.
The Johnnies’ MVP was RJ Luis Jr. who finished with 21 points and 7 rebounds including a clutch jumper to seal the victory with 10 seconds left on the clock. Kadary Richmond also finished with 12 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds.
Takeaway #1: UConn basketball needs to clean it up
While the last two games were both against top 15 ranked teams, UConn basketball had one ugly statistic that clouds their otherwise strong performances. Obviously the shooting numbers in this game were uncharacteristic, but this takeaway is about the turnovers.
The Huskies turned the ball over 22 times against St. John’s and 25 times in their road win over Marquette. Forty-seven turnovers in the last two games is simply unacceptable. Now that the Big East regular season title is out of their reach, UConn basketball has to figure out a way to take care of the ball in big moments as they gear up for the conference tournament.
It’s important to give credit where it’s due. Some of the early season struggles haven’t bothered this team recently as the Huskies managed to both outrebound and have more FT attempts than an incredibly physical team. If Dan Hurley can figure those out then the shooting woes for certain players and the turnover problem will turn around too.
Takeaway #2: The St. John’s revenge tour is here
The Red Storm have been a frisky team the past few seasons, but Year 2 of the Rick Pitino Era has this program all the way back as they are in the driver’s seat for the Big East regular season title. This team is highlighted by their physicality, especially on the defensive end, as they held a potent UConn basketball team in check for most of the game.
St. John’s ability to apply ball pressure and maintain it for most of the shot clock makes them a matchup nightmare. UConn basketball had an incredibly tough time just inbounding the ball never mind trying to run their elaborate offensive sets.
Rick Pitino’s team has their eyes set on a one-seed in the Big East Tournament and a top-three seed line in the big dance. The Red Storm is here and ready to compete for some hardware.
Takeaway #3: Thank you Liam McNeeley
While he did not start the game, freshman Liam McNeeley received a round of applause from Husky nation as he made his first appearance since going down with an ankle injury against Depaul on New Year’s Day.
Third career double-double for Liam 🔥 pic.twitter.com/T4ACRg89YS
— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) February 8, 2025
Liam made his mark on this game in a “limited” 29 minutes as he finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. His shooting may have been incredibly cold (4-15 FG, 2-9 3PT), but he made up for that with his rebounding and relentless drives to the rim.
In what was otherwise a cold half of offense for UConn basketball, Liam was able to continue finding shot attempts. This will prove to be valuable if McNeeley can return to his pre-injury form and start hitting those shots as the more dangerous options the Huskies have the better their chances of winning games in March is.
Next up for UConn basketball (16-6): at Creighton (17-6) – Feb. 11 at 9 p.m. EST
Next up for St. John’s (21-3): at Villanova (13-10) – Feb. 12 at 6 p.m. EST