Some showdowns feel inevitable long before they happen. Luke Skywalker versus Darth Vader. Harry Potter versus Voldemort.
The same sense of inevitability has surrounded the Big East this season. No. 2-seed UConn and No. 1-seed St. John’s have been on a collision course for the conference tournament championship since October.
The destiny-written clash between the two most recent outright Big East champions will finally unfold on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
“I just think both programs have really pushed each other the whole year,” UConn Head Coach Dan Hurley said. “Both of us have really delivered for this league in a year where this league needs a game like this tomorrow.”
The Big East Preseason Coaches’ Poll ranked The Red Storm (27-6, 18-2) as the preseason No .1 team in the conference. The Huskies (29-4, 17-3) fell narrowly behind by three votes. The Preseason AP Poll saw it differently, ranking UConn at No. 4 in the country and placing the Johnnies behind them at No. 5.
St. John’s edged out the Huskies for the regular season crown after UConn dropped its final game of the season to Marquette. A 3-for-24 shooting outing against the Golden Eagles put the Huskies hopes for a share of the regular season title to rest.
The two programs split the season series, each claiming victory on their home courts. The Red Storm struck first on Feb. 6 coming away with an 81-72 victory at Madison Square Garden. 15 UConn turnovers, nine coming from its starting point guard, Silas Demary Jr., spelled doom for the Huskies.
They bounced back in the rematch at PeoplesBank Arena, handing Rick Pitino one of the worst losses of his career on Feb. 25. UConn avenged the first meeting with a 72-40 dismantling of St. John’s. The Red Storm missed 24 straight field goals in the second half under duress from the Huskies’ stifling defense. UConn committed just five turnovers for the whole game.
“I feel like knowing we split two games…knowing what we’re walking into, knowing that this is a second opportunity to really win a championship…we got to focus on what we need to do on the court,” Tarris Reed Jr. said.
The big man duel between Reed and St. John’s Zuby Ejiofor has catalyzed the season series. Reed said the matchup would be a “tango” prior to the sea3son at Big East media day.
Reed’s dance partner got the better of him as Ejiofor dominated in the first encounter. The Big East Player of the Year stuffed the stat sheet with 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. On the defensive end, he came up with two steals while swatting three shot attempts.
While Ejiofor thrived, Reed couldn’t stay on the floor. The senior committed four fouls which resulted in him only seeing 24 minutes of action. He finished with an inferior 12 points and six boards.
Reed had the advantage during the second song. He held Ejiofor to just six points, while blocking a career high six shots in the contest. The All-Big East first team selection posted a 20-point double-double of his own on 64% shooting from the field.
“Tarris is the difference between us winning this tournament, Tarris is the difference between us getting to the Final Four,” Hurley said.
The conferences premier centers both finished with double-doubles in the quarter finals
Each of the tournament finalists have been dominant on the backboard. St. John’s took a 17-3 offensive rebounding advantage against Providence in the quarter finals which led to a +18 total margin on the game.
The Huskies have outrebounded opponents by a combined 24 boards over their past two games. That doesn’t just come from their front court. Demary led the team in rebounding in Friday’s win over Georgetown with nine.
The team that won the rebounding battle emerged victorious both times they faced off in the regular season.
UConn’s bench improvement has been a key factor in the team’s success in postseason play thus far. The Huskies are averaging 22 bench points in the tournament after spending the regular season in the 27th percentile at 16.8 points per game.
Alex Karaban challenged the second unit to step up on Tuesday prior to the tournament, a call to action that the bench has answered loudly. UConn is still without one of its role players, Jaylin Stewart, who was ruled out for the tournament with a leg injury.
“If we get that type of bench production, we’re gonna win a lot of games the rest of this college basketball season,” Hurley said.
Both teams handled their first two rounds of the tournament comfortably, but the wins did not come without struggles.
UConn cannot seem to stay out of foul trouble. The Huskies are committing 17.5 fouls per game this weekend. Four of their five starters committed at least three fouls on Thursday. Reed committed four fouls on Friday, while his backup Eric Reibe fouled out at the end of the game.
The Huskies boast an advantage in shooting over St. John’s. UConn is making threes at over a 35% clip in the post season, while the Red Storm are connecting at just a 28% rate. The Johnnies struggled to shoot down the stretch of their semifinal game against Seton Hall, which allowed them to get back into the game late.
The Big East Tournament Final tips off at 6:30 p.m. and can be watched on FS1.