The UConn women’s basketball team will end the 2025-26 regular season with a historic Big East matchup against St. John’s at Madison Square Garden, marking the first time the Red Storm have ever played a standalone game at the iconic New York City venue.
The March 1 matchup will tip off at 7 p.m. and will be nationally televised on truTV. It will be the first time the Huskies have played at Madison Square Garden since beating Maryland 83-73 in the Maggie Dixon Classic in 2015. St. John’s and UConn have met three times previously at the Garden, most recently in January of 2015 when the Huskies beat the Red Storm 70-54. UConn is 6-0 at MSG since 2000.
St. John’s holds an all-time record of 11-7 at Madison Square Garden, and the team has won conference games at MSG in each of the last two seasons including a 65-43 victory over Butler on Feb. 16, 2025. Tartamella, in his 14th season with the program, has a 5-2 overall record at the historic arena.
Brock departs football program: UConn defensive coordinator Matt Brock will be returning to Mississippi State, where he served as DC and linebackers coach before joining Jim Mora’s staff with the Huskies in 2024. Brock will return to his role as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Bulldogs.
It isn’t clear whether he will stay to coach the Huskies as offensive coordinator and interim head coach Gordon Sammis leads them in their Dec. 27 Fenway Bowl matchup against Army.
Soccer standout to NWSL: UConn women’s soccer star Chioma Okafor has signed a professional contract with the National Women’s Soccer League’s North Carolina Courage, the club announced Wednesday. The deal is three years guaranteed with a club option for the 2029 season.
Okafor was a three-time All-American with the Huskies, and semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy this past season.
Joe Arruda and Kels Dayton of the Courant sports staff contributed to this story.