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.
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