College basketball insiders are sharing their thoughts on the big game, set for Wednesday in Hartford.
UConn and St. John’s will tangle Wednesday night with the Big East conference title on the line, and the prognosticators are weighing in.
No.6 UConn (25-3, 15-2) will host No. 15 St. John’s (22-5, 15-1) at what should be a packed and raucous PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford. UConn comes off a win Saturday over Villanova after a shocking loss to Creighton earlier in the week. The Red Storm have won 13 straight, a stretch that includes an 81-72 victory over then-No. 3 UConn at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 6.
The Red Storm handed the Huskies their first conference loss that night, breaking UConn’s 18-game winning streak. And that was their third consecutive win over the Huskies; St John’s won both regular-season games in 2024-25, 68-62 on the road on Feb. 7, 2025, and 89-75 on Feb. 23.
St. John's also is the defending Big East regular-season and tournament champion.
So what do the college basketball insiders have to say about this game, which likely will decide whether the Big East has a champion or co-champion? Here’s the take from a few of them.
Seth Davis and Andy Katz
On their Monday edition of “The Hoops HQ Show,” Davis and Katz – two longtime analysts – came to a similar decision about the winner.
Katz: “I think St. John's is the better team, and I've seen both in the last couple of days, but I'm going to go with UConn in Hartford. They get more of a crowd there. It’s going to be an unbelievable environment, comparable to what we saw at MSG. I think they split the two games in the regular season, and then I'm going to go ahead and say St. John's wins in the Big East tournament in the final.”
Davis: “I've got St. John's ranked well ahead of where they're (ranked). I'm voting them eighth. I've got them ahead ... of their metrics. I think they are absolutely legit. You got to like UConn at home, and then hopefully – I'm hoping – that the rubber match happens at Madison Square Garden for the Big East finals.”
Jon Rothstein
The CBS Sports analyst gave his keys to the game without picking a winner on Monday night.
“To me, a big thing to keep an eye on in this game Wednesday night in Hartford, a game that you want to be locked in on like it's the Super Bowl, is this: UConn was not able to get major mileage out of its bench when St. John's played UConn a couple of weeks ago at Madison Square Garden,” Rothstein said. “Only one player off the bench for Dan Hurley’s squad played double-figure minutes. UConn, on Saturday against Villanova, had 22 points off the bench. It had six against St. John's at Madison Square Garden. Role players always play better at home.”
And UConn will need a big contribution from the men who protect the rim, he said, especially Tarris Reed Jr. and Alex Karaban.
“St. John's physically overwhelmed UConn in the paint and on the backboard the first time these two teams played. Will Reed, will Karaban be able to stay on the floor for the Huskies?”
Zach Braziller
The St. John’s beat reporter for the New York Post, Braziller picked UConn the first time around. This time, he’s giving the edge to the Red Storm.
“They're so good on the road.” he said Monday on the “Locked Up Sports” podcast. “I think they're a bad matchup for UConn. I think Tarris Reed really struggles against Zuby (Ejiofor). I'm going to go St. John’s.”
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