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The UConn Huskies entered yesterday’s home game as favorites, but nobody expected the final result: a complete destruction of a strong Red Storm team. The Huskies left Hartford with their second straight Quad 1 win, making their record in those crucial games now 8-2, added to their resume. The final score was a staggering 72-40 blowout, Pitino’s largest loss since his time at Louisville in 2009, the Johnnies’ largest as an AP ranked team since 1960, and their largest overall since 2013. In the win, UConn retook the top spot in the Big East and is projected by many as the No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament—but St. John’s still has their name in the running for both.
So, how did St. John’s lose like this? Three words: shooting, defense, turnovers.
The simplest of the three is shooting. The Johnnies were left in the dust midway through the first half when UConn went on a 16-0 run. Things improved in the following sequences when the drought was broken, but at halftime, they were still down 41-26.
Arguably much worse, in the final 17 minutes of the game, St. John’s did not score a single field goal. They went 0-24, their only points coming from free throws, but through the whole game, they had also gone 13-17 on those, which leaves room for improvement. So yes: unfortunately, the Red Storm just didn’t show up last night against a top opponent.
As for the Huskies’ shooting, they shot 47%, with double digits from Reed, Karaban, and Ball. Reed specifically had one of the best games of his college career with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists. UConn’s run in the first half was huge, but they kept momentum running and did not slow to their opponents speed, dropping 31 in the second half as well. Which leads to the next key: UConn’s defense and assist-turnover ratio.
If a St. John’s fan were to look at last night’s box score without first looking at the final counts, they would have quickly realized the results from Red Storm forward Zuby Ejiofor being held to just 6 points. Hopkins scored 8.
UConn’s defense was clamping. Aside from the very few points allowed in comparison to the last few games St. John’s has played, the Huskies ended with 6 steals and 32 defensive rebounds. They had 20 assists to just 5 turnovers.
Any Husky fan recognizes that such few turnovers is a key to their success. Many major losses they’ve had the last few seasons have rested on their turnover numbers, including their earlier matchup against the Red Storm this season where they had 15.
Postgame, Pitino remarked, “That's probably only happened to me 2 times in my career... It's all on me.” The Johnnies will look to bounce back in their next matchup, a critical one against Villanova.
UConn can win a championship if they continue to play at this level. If they continue the momentum, possibly secure an NCAA tournament No. 1 seed—the Huskies can make it very far.