St. John's storms past UConn in rubber match as Red Storm capture back-to-back Big East Tournament titles

After struggling in the last matchup against UConn, St. John's star big man Zuby Ejiofor had a performance to remember in the Big East Tournament title game. He finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks -- which set a record for the most blocks in a Big East Tournament title game.

Ejiofor also became the second player in the history of the Big East Tournament title game to record at least 15 points and five blocks. The other player who accomplished the feat was Patrick Ewing (Georgetown) in 1984. After scoring just six points in the last matchup against UConn, Ejiofor came to play. His intensity on both ends of the floor is why St. John's won its second consecutive conference title.

St. John's entered the day as a No. 5 seed in CBS Sports' latest Bracketology projections, and that's where Rick Pitino's team will likely stay heading into Sunday. The No. 4 seeds in the projections are currently Alabama, Kansas, Nebraska and Gonzaga. When stacking St. John's resume up against those teams, the Red Storm fall short. St. John's was a perfect 12-0 against Quad 2 teams but finished with just four wins (including today) against Quad 1 teams. That likely won't cut it to move up. 

FINAL: No. 1 seed St. John's 72, No. 2 seed UConn 52

UConn entered Saturday evening in a prime position to secure a No. 1 seed after Florida lost to Vanderbilt and Houston lost to Arizona. The Huskies didn't take advantage of the opportunity, and it might cost them on Selection Sunday. In our latest Bracketology projections at CBS Sports, UConn will fall to a No. 2 seed. In fact, UConn would be behind Houston for the top No. 2 seed as far as officially seeding goes. It appears that barring something unexpected in the next 24 hours, Florida will be a No. 1 seed again.

LATE 2H: No. 1 seed St. John's 65, No. 2 seed UConn 49

UConn has missed its last five field goals and hasn't scored in over three minutes. St. John's has stretched its lead to 16 with 5:01 remaining. The Huskies are on the ropes.

EARLY 2H: No. 1 seed St. John's 59, No. 2 seed UConn 49

The story of this game has been the play of St. John's frontcourt. After struggling the last time he faced UConn, Zuby Ejiofor has been incredible on the defensive end. He has five blocks and two steals. Fellow forward Bryce Hopkins has 16 points on 6 of 7 shooting. Impressive effort.

EARLY 2H: No. 1 seed St. John's 49, No. 2 seed UConn 42

UConn has outscored St. John's 15-9 in the second half to cut the deficit down to seven. UConn is currently on a 13-2 run. St. John's has missed six of its last seven shots from the floor. The Huskies are coming alive, and big man Tarris Reed Jr. is a big reason why. He has eight points in seven minutes during the second half.

EARLY 2H: No. 1 seed St. John's 47, No. 2 seed UConn 36

UConn is showing signs of life. The Huskies are on a 7-0 run and have held St. John's without a point for nearly three minutes to cut the deficit to 11 points. UConn star freshman Braylon Mullins went scoreless in the first half but has five quick points to get his team back in it.

HALF: No. 1 seed St. John's 40, No. 2 seed UConn 27

Through the first 20 minutes of play in this Big East Tournament title game, it's been all St. John's. The Red Storm have yet to trail against No. 2 seed UConn and take a 40-27 lead into halftime. St. John's, the No. 1 seed and the defending Big East Tournament champs, haven't trailed throughout the tournament during the first 100 minutes of action.

St. John's is shooting an impressive 15 of 30 from the floor in the first half, while holding UConn to just 9 of 25 shooting. The Huskies committed 11 turnovers in the first half, compared to just four by St. John's.

Big East Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor has put on a show and has 10 points, five rebounds, three blocks and two steals. He has been the difference so far after struggling the last time he faced UConn.

What's on the line? Well, the final No. 1 seed is still up for grabs. UConn is the likeliest choice to join Duke, Michigan and Arizona on the top line with a win. With a loss, the Huskies could find themselves as a No. 2 seed on Selection Sunday.

Win or lose, St. John's is likely to be a No. 5 seed on Selection Sunday, per CBS Sports' Bracketology projections.

LATE 1H: No. 1 seed St. John's 36, No. 2 seed UConn 19

It's been all St. John's so far. The Red Storm have yet to trail in this game and just extended their lead to 17 points after a powerful dunk by Dillon Mitchell. UConn is shooting 7 of 21 (33.3%) against this St. John's defense. Meanwhile, the No. 1 seed is 14 of 24 from the field.

MID 1H: No. 1 seed St. John's 32, No. 2 seed UConn 19

St. John's was on a 7-0 run before UConn forward Jayden Ross knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 13. The 16-point lead St. John's had moments before it was its latest of the night so far. It's been all Red Storm through the first 12 minutes of action.

EARLY 1H: No. 1 seed St. John's 23, No. 2 seed UConn 9

UConn coach Dan Hurley must not have liked a call that was made because he was just given a technical foul with 12:34 remaining in the first half. It's been all St. John's so far in this Big East title game. St. John's has made nine of its first 13 shots to begin the game.

EARLY 1H: No. 1 seed St. John's 10, No. 2 seed UConn 0

St. John's has scored the first 10 points of this Big East title game. UConn has missed its first four shots and has two turnovers in that stretch. Oziyah Sellers has a game-high six points for the Red Storm.

1. St John's

• Dylan Darling (G)
• Oziyah Sellers (G)
• Dillon Mitchell (F)
• Bryce Hopkins (F)
• Zuby Ejiofor (F)

2. UConn

• Solo Ball (G)
• Silas Demary Jr. (G)
• Braylon Mullins (G)
• Tarris Reed Jr. (F)
• Alex Karaban (F)

UConn picked up a 67-51 win over No. 11 seed Georgetown. The Hoyas were coming off back-to-back upset wins over DePaul and Villanova to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2021.

2026 Big East Tournament scores, results, bracket: St. John's outlasts UConn for second straight title

Cameron Salerno

St. John's advanced to the title after defeating No. 4 seed Seton Hall 78-68 in the first semifinal game on Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York. With the loss, Seton Hall faces an uphill climb heading into the weekend to secure an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. 

2026 Big East Tournament scores, results, bracket: St. John's outlasts UConn for second straight title

Cameron Salerno

No one in the mix for the No. 1 overall seed or the fourth No. 1 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament has flinched during conference tournament action, which sets up a high-stakes Saturday for the Bracketology picture. Duke and Arizona will each be vying for conference tournament titles while Michigan is playing in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.

The Blue Devils, Wolverines and Wildcats are locks to be No. 1 seeds regardless of what happens. But their order will be determined by the final results that transpire before Sunday's selection show on CBS. If Duke beats Virginia in the ACC Tournament title game, it will be well-positioned to claim the No. 1 overall seed. 

However, there is little separating the Blue Devils from Arizona and Michigan. If Arizona takes out Houston for the Big 12 Tournament crown, the Wildcats will also have a strong case to be No. 1 overall. 

Bracketology: Arizona vs. Houston offers high stakes as potential NCAA Tournament No. 1 seeds refuse to flinch

David Cobb

With Florida falling 91-74 to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament semifinals, the Gators are off the No. 1 seed line for now. Who lands as the final No. 1 seed in CBS Sports Bracketology will ultimately be determined by the outcomes of the Big 12 and Big East Tournament title games.

— If Houston beats Arizona in the Big 12 Tournament title game, it will be the fourth No. 1 seed in our final projection, regardless of what UConn does.
— If UConn wins and Houston loses, UConn will be the fourth No. 1 seed.
— If both UConn and Houston lose, Florida will likely regain the fourth No. 1 seed in our final CBS Sports Bracketology projection