UConn proves its worthy of National Championship hype after dismantling St. John's

The Huskies bounced back in a major way after its most disappointing stretch of the season

Feb 25, 2026; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies forward Tarris Reed Jr. (5) reacts after a basket against the St. John's Red Storm in the second half at PeoplesBank Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

UConn entered a two-game stretch with a lot of questions surrounding its team.

There were a lot of defensive issues for the Huskies to clean up and after losing to an underwhelming Creighton team at home, it had to go on the road to meet Villanova and host St. John’s.

It was a week that would prove Dan Hurley’s team as a contender or pretender, and one thing is very clear; the Huskies are legitimate contenders.

After a 10-point victory in Philadelphia, UConn put a whooping on the Red Storm that not many people have seen before – and it did it with its defense, winning 72-40.

St. John’s made two shots in the second half and did not make a field goal in the final 17:28. UConn forced the Johnnies to miss its final 24 shot attempts of the game.

The Huskies felt like they were punked by the Red Storm at Madison Square Garden three weeks ago and left no doubt as to who was the tougher team on Wednesday night in Hartford.

Tarris Reed was a monster, scoring 20 points – 14 coming in the first half – with 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and six blocked shots. He was no match for Zuby Ejiofor, the likely Big East Player of the Year.

“For me, the game was just about Tarris Reed,” Hurley said after the game. “His last two games, if that’s what he’s decided to give us…today’s performance was a good as a center has played for us in a game.”

What was more impressive in UConn’s win was they didn’t shoot well from 3-point range, making just 7-of-25 attempts, but it didn’t matter. It could have taken St. John’s three more halves to reach the 72-point mark.

“It was just our night,” Hurley added.

And it feels like there will be a lot more games this season where that is the feeling for UConn, who reaffirmed its status as one of the best teams in the country.