Dan Hurley Breaks Down What UConn Must Do Better vs. St. John's

Dan Hurley reveals the biggest disappointment from the UConn Huskies loss to St. John’s loss while preparing for a rematch.

Feb 21, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley reacts during the first half against the Villanova Wildcats at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The UConn Huskies are nearing the end of their regular season and are sitting at 25-3. They are 15-2 in the Big East, and their losses have come from St. John’s, Arizona and Creighton. And now, the Huskies face St. John’s yet again.

The last time the two teams faced off early this season, that game snapped the, then No.3, Huskies' 18-game winning streak. While the loss was painful, it did expose the issues that could end the Huskies’ March run early.

Before the Huskies face St John’s yet again, Dan Hurley spoke to the press and went on to reveal his biggest disappointment from that loss.

“Yeah, I mean, you could pick, I guess, between guarding the ball, guarding screening actions, and the paint area. They’re playing a lineup with three guys that don’t shoot a lot of threes or make a lot, and to give up as much paint as we did,” Hurley said.

Despite UConn shooting over 54 percent overall and 47.4 percent from three, St John's managed to come close. Additionally, the Red Storm attempted 31 free throws, while UConn attempted 12. The Huskies also committed 15 turnovers and were out-rebounded. These issues are not new either.

Feb 6, 2026; New York, New York, USA; St. John's Red Storm forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) and UConn Huskies forward Tarris Reed Jr. (5) at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

This season, UConn has allowed 626 free-throw attempts compared to just 509 of its own. Similarly, the Huskies have also made 515 personal fouls this season, while opponents have made 488. In the Creighton game, that imbalance allowed the Bluejays to go 17-of-18 from the free-throw line in the second half alone.

“The turnovers, just getting the ball stolen from us, taken out of our hands, being picked. But that’s been a problem during the year, that looseness with the ball," Hurley continued.

"So I would say paint defense, bad ball security, and then just some of the offensive rebounding things, especially free throw rebounds. Not being able to get a free throw rebound, I think it was like three or four times we were either called for a foul or didn’t get possession of the ball, which is hard to overcome,” he said.

Huskies Have 2 More Games To Fix Issues Before Rankings Slip Further

UConn’s 91-84 home loss to Creighton was a late and unexpected blow. Despite bouncing back with a 73-63 win over Villanova, the Huskies dropped one spot to No. 6 in the AP Poll after what voters saw as a split week.

The Creighton game exposed the same defensive and fouling issues that have surfaced repeatedly, as the Bluejays shot 49.1 percent. The Villanova response helped stabilize things, as UConn shot over 54 percent and had six players in double figures. However, facing St John’s might not be as easy.

Where things stand going into this week's games 👀 pic.twitter.com/mPsFjIlJg6

— BIG EAST MBB (@BIGEASTMBB) February 24, 2026

St. John’s is now sitting at 15-1 in conference play, which puts them at the top of the Big East rankings. They enter this matchup on a 13-game winning streak and coming off a win over Creighton, the same team that just beat UConn.

At the end of it all, as Hurley sees it, "For us, it’s about playing really, really hard, it’s about, when a shot goes up, hitting first rather than getting hit.”

Soon after, the Huskies close their regular season with a match against Seton Hall before heading to the Big East Tournament.

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