The Big East schedule may not be out yet, but one of the league’s most anticipated matchups already appears to be on the board.
According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, UConn and St. John’s are set to meet in conference play on Jan. 29 and March 2 during the 2026-27 season.
The first game is expected to take place at Madison Square Garden, with the second in Connecticut. Neither school has confirmed the dates.
That pairing has taken on real weight since Rick Pitino arrived at St. John’s before the 2023-24 season.
The Red Storm were 18-15 overall and 7-13 in the Big East in 2022-23, Mike Anderson’s final year in charge. Since then, the numbers have climbed fast: 20-13 and 11-9 in Pitino’s first season, then 31-5 and 18-2 in 2024-25, followed by 30-7 and 18-2 in 2025-26.
The matchups between Pitino and Dan Hurley have become one of the league’s marquee coaching battles, with two elite tacticians and recruiters trying to push their teams to the top in games that have carried more and more meaning. Since Pitino took over, UConn and St.
John’s have split their regular-season meetings. The Huskies swept the series in Pitino’s first season, St.
John’s swept it in the second, and in 2025-26 the teams split again in the regular season before the Red Storm rolled to a 72-52 win in the conference championship game in March.
St. John’s enters the conversation as the two-time defending Big East champion, while UConn has won two of the past four national titles and fell 69-63 to Michigan in the April championship game.
Still, calling either team the favorite for 2026-27 this early is a stretch.
Both programs have undergone turnover since last season, and both staffs have used the transfer portal to reload. Even so, UConn has a clearer read on its roster than St.
John’s does right now. Hurley and his staff know Silas Demary Jr. and Braylon Mullins are expected to return as starters, and they also know the other three projected starters are already on the roster.
Pitino’s situation is murkier. He is waiting on several eligibility questions to be resolved, with potential starters still tied up in legal and NCAA issues.
That includes Keyshawn Hall, a potential transfer from Auburn, who is seeking eligibility for a fifth college season. Quinn Ellis, who played professionally in Italy, is also awaiting NCAA approval as the organization takes a harder look at international transfers.
Babacar Sane, who signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Utah Jazz, was granted a temporary order on Monday that allows him to play pending an Oct. 1 hearing.
For now, the dates are the headline. The rest of the Big East picture will have to wait until the pieces fall into place.
In Other News...
UConn Just Landed A Five-Star Piece Dan Hurley Really Needed
UConn added a major building block to its future this week when NaVorro Bowman Jr. committed to the Huskies, giving Dan Hurley the first pledge in the programs 2027 recruiting class. The five-star guard from Notre Dame High School in California arrives with plenty of upside and plenty of attention, a combination that has become increasingly familiar for a UConn staff that keeps landing elite talent.
Bowmans commitment is also another sign that Hurleys recruiting reach remains national, not just strong in the Northeast, and it adds to the list of five-star wins the Huskies have stacked since 2023. For a program that has spent the past few years chasing another high standard, getting an early cornerstone in place for 2027 gives UConn a different kind of momentum, even if the rest of that class is still waiting to be built. [Read more 🡒]
UConn Just Added Another Elite Piece For Dan Hurleys Next Wave
UConns next wave of talent got a major boost with the commitment of NaVorro Bowman Jr., a five-star guard who already looks like the kind of prospect Dan Hurley loves to stockpile. The son of former NFL All-Pro NaVorro Bowman, the 6-foot-3 point guard arrives with plenty of pedigree and the kind of national profile that tends to turn recruiting battles into early tone-setters for the future of a program.
Bowman Jr. has been one of the most coveted names in the 2027 class, drawing interest from several major programs before choosing UConn. He also brings international credibility after helping Team USA win gold at the 2026 FIBA U17 World Cup, another sign that the Huskies are not just loading up on upside, but targeting players who have already proven they can compete on a big stage. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Faces A Real Recruiting Test For Coveted Defensive Big
Kamsi Awaka has emerged as one of the more intriguing big-man targets on the board, and UConn is getting a closer look at him this weekend. The 6-foot-10 Blair Academy standout has built his reputation on the defensive end, where he helped anchor Blair Academy and New Heights while earning Defensive MVP honors in the 17U All Circuit Honors.
What makes this recruitment worth watching from UConns side is the company Awaka is keeping in his final group. Arizona is in the mix, along with Florida, Michigan and Michigan State, which gives the Huskies a battle-tested field to compete against as they try to sell their own pitch to a rising defensive presence in the frontcourt. [Read more 🡒]