Big East Earthquake: St. John’s Topples No. 3 UConn at Madison Square Garden

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The Big East landscape shifted on Friday night, February 6, 2026, as No. 22 St. John’s delivered a statement victory, upsetting No. 3 UConn 81–72 before a sellout crowd of 19,812 at Madison Square Garden. The win wasn’t just a ranked upset; it snapped the Huskies’ 18-game winning streak and signaled that Rick Pitino’s Red Storm are legitimate contenders for the conference crown.

The victory also marked a personal milestone for Rick Pitino, who earned his 903rd career win, tying Hall of Famer Roy Williams for third-most in Division I history.

Zuby Ejiofor: The Garden’s New King

Junior center Zuby Ejiofor put together arguably the best performance of his career, flirting with a triple-double and dominating the paint against the defending national champions.

The Stat Line: 21 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 blocks.

The “Pitino” Quote: Following the game, a jubilant Pitino joked to Ejiofor, “You’re going to make me retire. I’m not living life without you.”

The Momentum: Ejiofor was the catalyst for a 10–0 second-half run that turned a 39–39 halftime tie into a double-digit lead the Johnnies would never fully relinquish.

Why the Streak Snapped

For the Huskies (22–2, 12–1 Big East), the loss was their first since November. Despite shooting 54.7% from the field and 47.4% from deep, UConn was undone by three critical factors:

Turnover Trouble: UConn committed 15 turnovers, with nine coming from star guard Silas Demary Jr.

The Free Throw Chasm: St. John’s lived at the charity stripe, going 22-of-31. UConn, conversely, went just 5-of-12.

Bench Scoring: The Red Storm’s bench outscored the Huskies’ reserves 15–6.

The “Roller-Coaster” Finish

UConn head coach Dan Hurley compared the game to a trip to Great Adventure. Trailing by 11 with 13 minutes to play, the Huskies mounted a furious rally led by Silas Demary Jr. (18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists).

The Dunk: Demary Jr. provided the highlight of the night with a monster posterizing slam over Ejiofor that cut the deficit to 64–63 with 5:35 left.

The Dagger: St. John’s refused to blink. Guard Dylan Darling hit a critical step-back three-pointer, and Dillon Mitchell (15 points) added an acrobatic tip-in late to seal the result for the Red Storm.

By The Numbers

Team	1st	2nd	Final
#3 UConn	39	33	72
#22 St. John’s	39	42	81

Leading Scorers: Ejiofor (SJU) 21 pts; Demary Jr. (UConn) 18 pts; Karaban (UConn) 17 pts.

Attendance: 19,812 (Sold Out)

Looking Ahead: The Race for First

With this win, St. John’s (18–5, 11–1) moves within a half-game of the first-place Huskies in the Big East standings. The two teams are scheduled for a high-stakes rematch in Hartford on February 25, which could ultimately determine the regular-season champion