From the opening tip, UConn men’s basketball set the tone for how Wednesday night’s contest would go. The Huskies put on a defensive clinic, and drove up the scoreboard on their arch nemesis St. John’s. It was over early, with fans from both teams trickling out of PeoplesBank Arena before the final score settled at 72-40.
This was a bully ball game for center Tarris Reed, who has had some quiet moments of late before getting the ultimate revenge on Wednesday night. He was unstoppable against Zuby Ejiofor, the favorite for Big East Player of the Year. However, the tides could be turning in a different direction for that prestigious award after Reed thoroughly dominated Ejiofor. Reed got going early offensively, which helped the Huskies build an early double-digit advantage that would never be relinquished. What was arguably more impressive was Reed’s physical presence defensively that led to him tying his career high in blocks with six. He grew more potent as the game wore on, turning back a Bryce Hopkins shot attempt back that left a memorable mark on the second half of this game.
The Huskies’ assault started with a three from Alex Karaban, and was followed by one of Reed’s many dunks. Later on, Reed dove for a loose ball that ignited the transition to a Braylon Mullins corner three on a long pass from Karaban, thus pushing the lead to seven before the Under-12 of the first half.
“This place will EXPLODE with a bucket here…” pic.twitter.com/VPcewYtIj4
— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) February 26, 2026
Coming out of the break with the Huskies ahead by 15, Reed got position inside and punished the rim again. With Ejiofor not getting the job done, St. John’s had tried to throw the industrious Ruben Prey at him for stretches of this game, but to no avail. With UConn on a 23-6 run in the first half, there was an and-one call for Reed against Prey that looked to be a generous call. Pitino berated the officials for that one, which summed up his frustration all night that later led to a one-minute fifteen second postgame interview after the game.
Pitino has rarely suffered a loss as bad as Wednesday’s. Additionally, no Pitino team has ever scored as low as 40 points in a game.
Despite only going 7-25 from three, UConn received three from Mullins, two from Karaban, and two from Solo Ball. Mullins’ lightning quick release was on full display, and his energy was great on both ends as part of the team’s defensive masterpiece. Ball’s intensity was at a high level, while Karaban flew around the court and looked fresh after moving slowly during the Creighton nightmare last week. Led by Reed’s 20 points, UConn outscored St. John’s 42-12 in the paint, which is virtually nuts considering the Johnnies’ well-known physicality.
Dillon Mitchell was held scoreless on a night where nothing went right for St. John’s. In 37 minutes, Mitchell was 0-4 from the field with three fouls. In the previous match-up, Mitchell was an X-Factor with 15 points and six rebounds.
UConn will look to end the regular season versus Seton Hall and at Marquette. St. John’s, who trails the Huskies by a half game with a game in hand, draws Villanova and Georgetown at home and Seton Hall on the road.
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