UConn Fails To Show Up Defensively Against St. John's, Suffers Deflating 89-75 Loss

The Huskies allowed the Red Storm to have their way for 40 minutes

Feb 7, 2025; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies forward Liam McNeeley (30) drivers the ball against the St. John's Red Storm in the first half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The UConn Huskies haven’t been a great defensive team all year. 

Sure, they boast a Top 70 scoring defense in late February, but ESPN’s Jay Bilas described the Huskies’ defensive shortcomings perfectly back in January. 

“They don’t have the same rim protection and interior strength and scoring that they had a couple of years ago with Adama Sanogo and with Donovan Clingan backing him up,” Bilas said on Jan. 17.

“And then last year with Clingan taking the lead in that and being arguably the best interior defender in the country. They don’t have that, they’ve got an excellent offense, but they’ve got a lot of guys in new roles, and so they’re not as powerful, and their defense is not as good.”

On Sunday, against St. John’s, the Huskies struggled to keep the Red Storm’s crafty guards out of the paint, rotate in a timely fashion, and limit their three-point shooting opportunities, resulting in a lopsided 89-75 loss. 

UConn surrendered 50 points in the first half, allowed Zuby Ejiofor to feast in the low post, and failed to defend the three adequately in the 40-minute contest. 

It also didn’t help that Dan Hurley’s crew turned the ball over 18 teams and shot 26.1% from beyond the arc. 

While the Huskies, who dropped to 10-6 in the Big East, are still in good shape to receive a Top 5 seed and a first-round bye in the Big East tournament, they must take care of business during the final stretch of the regular season to make it official. 

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