UConn HC Breaks Down Loss to St. John’s
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For more than two months, the UConn Huskies looked untouchable. However, the last game changed that. The Huskies entered Madison Square Garden at 22–1 overall and unbeaten in Big East play, but the game against conference rival St. John’s has changed that.
The Huskies lost 81–72 to St. John’s Red Storm in front of a sold-out crowd, the Huskies' second loss of the season. The defeat snapped an 18-game winning streak. Soon after the game, Dan Hurley went on to dissect and understand what went wrong.
“I mean, listen, it’s incredible. You’ve got to be in great shape to do what they do. For them to deny the ball in the front court the way they do, and then have the discipline to not foul, to not be called for one foul the entire game, the way they face-guard, they’re handsy, and again, it’s a Big East game,” started Hurley.
Hurley is not wrong. The Huskies shot 54.7% from three and 47.4%, which is higher than St John’s 26.3% from three. Despite the advantage, the numbers did not translate to control. Instead, the Huskies had 15 turnovers and a –6 rebounding margin that kept them from fully capitalizing on their efficiency.
AK from DEEP pic.twitter.com/p4BjY6F8Lh
— UConn Men's Basketball (@UConnMBB) February 7, 2026
Meanwhile, St. John’s leaned into its identity. Despite shooting just .263 from deep, the Red Storm made the difference with nine steals, cleaner ball security with 10 turnovers, and an edge at the line at .710 FT%.
As Hurley sees it, “I would say it disrupts your ability to get into what you want to do offensively….Our turnovers didn’t really come against the pressure. Our turnovers came from (Dylan) Darling making a great play on the ball, (Dillon) Mitchell getting a steal, a breakdown in execution leading to a pick-six in the front court.”
The Red Storm scored 22 points at the free-throw line, icing the final minutes while UConn went just 5-of-12. Despite standout nights from Silas Demary Jr. with 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and Alex Karaban’s 17 points, moving into 12th all-time in scoring, the Huskies lost.
“I didn’t think we turned it over because of their pressure. I think we turned it over because we lost our minds a little bit. And they have great defense. That’s a top-20 defense, easy. They’re hard to beat,” added Hurley.
With Six Games Left, Dan Hurley Has to Fix UConn’s Nagging Issue
The Huskies have six games before the Big East tournament begins, and Hurley has a big hole of fouling to fill. The fouling issue didn’t appear out of nowhere, but it sure did catch up at the worst possible time.
Against St. John’s, the Huskies were whistled for 23 personal fouls compared to just 15 for the Red Storm. While it’s an alarming number, it is nothing new. UConn has regularly lived in the high teens to low 20s in team fouls, including 21 against Butler, 21 at Seton Hall and 20 against Texas and Providence, and has survived it until now.
This season, UConn has committed 444 total fouls, slightly more than its opponents’ 424, yet opponents have attempted nearly 100 more free throws overall. The Huskies have to fix the issue quickly, as they face the Butler Bulldogs next.
The Huskies are 12–0 all-time against Butler, including a 79–60 win earlier this season, and have won the last 10 by an average of 13 points. While history might favor the Huskies, a Big East game is always unpredictable.
-fd44250df32912986cc6690f0b8bfa32.png "Shivani Menon")
Shivani Menon is a sports journalist with a background in Mass Communication and a passion for storytelling. She has written for EssentiallySports, College Sports Network, and PFSN, covering Olympic sports like track and field, gymnastics, and alpine skiing, as well as college football, basketball, March Madness, and the NBL Draft. When she's not reporting, she's either on the road chasing sunsets or getting lost in the rhythms of electronic soundscapes.