College basketball rankings: St. John's, UConn set for Big East showdown on Friday in Madison Square Garden
The Red Storm and Huskies will put their respective winning streaks on the line in the Big East showdown on Friday night
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
There are games on this weekend's schedule featuring two higher-ranked teams, sure. But there's nothing taking place more compelling than Friday night's matchup between UConn and St. John's inside New York's Madison Square Garden.
It's hard to top.
The Huskies and Red Storm enter this contest having combined to win 26 consecutive games -- 18 straight for UConn, eight straight for St. John's. The fact that the Huskies are favorites on the road at MSG suggests these teams remain in different places. Regardless, after starting 9-5 with a loss to Providence that dropped the Red Storm to a place where they were getting zero votes in the AP Top 25 poll, they've done nothing but win and are clearly trending in the right direction.
Is it somewhat the byproduct of a weak Big East?
Perhaps, considering more than half of the conference is ranked outside of the top 80 of the NET, and especially considering St. John's winning streak features zero victories over opponents in the top 30 of the NET. EIther way, for whatever it's worth, if you run the numbers at BartTorvik.com, St. John's is 8-0 since Jan. 6 and performing like a top-15 team in the country. Again, that's trending in the right direction and some data to support the idea that we could get a classic later Friday in Midtown Manhattan.
UConn is No. 2 in Friday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. St. John's is No. 22. Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. The get-in price on the secondary market is reportedly $195, as of Friday morning.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Brayden Burries finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 87-74 win at Arizona State. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Oklahoma State. | -- | 22-0 |
| 2 |  | Silas Demary Jr. finished with 17 points and eight assists in Tuesday's 92-60 win over Xavier. The Huskies' next game is Friday at St. John's. | -- | 22-1 |
| 3 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds in Tuesday's 67-49 win over Boston College. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday at North Carolina. | -- | 21-1 |
| 4 |  | Nimari Burnett finished with 31 points and five rebounds in Thursday's 110-69 win over Penn State. The Wolverines' next game is Sunday at Ohio State. | -- | 21-1 |
| 5 |  | Joshua Jefferson finished with 19 points and eight rebounds in Sunday's 95-61 win at Kansas State. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday against Baylor. | -- | 20-2 |
| 6 |  | Andrej Stojakovic finished with 17 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's 84-44 win over Northwestern. The Illini's next game is Saturday at Michigan State. | -- | 20-3 |
| 7 |  | Kingston Flemings finished with 18 points and six assists in Wednesday's 79-55 win over UCF. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at BYU. | -- | 20-2 |
| 8 |  | Rienk Mast missed eight of the 10 shots he attempted in Sunday's 78-69 loss to Nebraska. The Cornhuskers' next game is Saturday at Rutgers. | -- | 20-2 |
| 9 |  | Emmanuel Innocenti missed all five shots he attempted in Wednesday's 87-80 loss at Portland. The Zags' next game is Saturday at Oregon State. | -- | 22-2 |
| 10 |  | Darryn Peterson finished with 19 points and two steals in Monday's 64-61 win at Texas Tech. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against Utah. | -- | 17-5 |
| 11 |  | Tyler Tanner finished with 24 points and three assists in Saturday's 71-68 win over Ole Miss. The Commodores' next game is Saturday against Oklahoma. | -- | 19-3 |
| 12 |  | Fletcher Loyer finished with 29 points and three assists in Sunday's 93-63 win at Maryland. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Oregon. | -- | 18-4 |
| 13 |  | Jeremy Fears Jr. missed seven of the 11 shots he attempted in Wednesday's 76-73 loss at Minnesota. The Spartans' next game is Saturday against Illinois. | -- | 19-4 |
| 14 |  | Alex Condon finished with 25 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 100-77 win over Alabama. The Gators' next game is Saturday at Texas A&M. | -- | 16-6 |
| 15 |  | Sam Lewis finished with 15 points and three rebounds in Tuesday's 67-47 win over Pitt. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday against Syracuse. | -- | 19-3 |
| 16 |  | Donovan Atwell missed nine of the 13 shots he attempted in Monday's 64-61 loss to Kansas. The Red Raiders' next game is Sunday at West Virginia. | -- | 16-6 |
| 17 |  | Darius Acuff Jr. missed 12 of the 20 shots he attempted in Saturday's 85-77 loss to Kentucky. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday at Mississippi State. | -- | 16-6 |
| 18 |  | Nick Davidson finished with 16 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's 66-64 win at Stanford. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Cal. | -- | 19-4 |
| 19 |  | Khadim Mboup missed four of the five shots he attempted in Wednesday's 99-92 loss at Oklahoma State. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Houston. | -- | 17-5 |
| 20 |  | Trey Green finished with 23 points and five rebounds in Friday's 102-71 win over Dayton. The Billikens' next game is Tuesday at Davidson. | -- | 22-1 |
| 21 |  | Khani Rooths finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds in Wednesday's 76-65 win over Notre Dame. The Cardinals' next game is Saturday at Wake Forest. | -- | 16-6 |
| 22 |  | Zuby Ejiofor finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in Tuesday's 68-56 win at DePaul. The Red Storm's next game is Friday against UConn. | -- | 17-5 |
| 23 |  | Luke Skaljac finished with 19 points and five steals in Tuesday's 73-71 win at Buffalo. The RedHawks' next game is Saturday at Marshall. | -- | 23-0 |
| 24 |  | Caleb Wilson finished with 22 points and nine rebounds in Monday's 87-77 win over Syracuse. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday against Duke. | -- | 18-4 |
| 25 |  | Nate Ament finished with 28 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 84-66 win over Ole Miss. The Vols' next game is Saturday at Kentucky. | -- | 16-6 |
| 26 |  | Aden Holloway finished with 20 points and six assists in Wednesday's 100-97 win over Texas A&M. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday at Auburn. | -- | 15-7 |
