St. John's basketball: 5 biggest takeaways exiting loss against UConn

There were five major takeaways from the St. John's basketball loss against No. 5 UConn in Hartford

Dec 23, 2023; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; St. John's Red Storm guard RJ Luis Jr. (12) drives the
Dec 23, 2023; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; St. John's Red Storm guard RJ Luis Jr. (12) drives the | David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
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4. The Rebounding Must Improve

The biggest thing that annoyed Rick Pitino after St. John's loss was how his team rebounded in the final four minutes.

After the Red Storm took the lead, 63-61, UConn was able to get two offensive rebounds which eventually tied the game. The Huskies had another offensive rebound in the final minute which could have extended its lead to two possessions but a 3-pointer on a second chance opportunity was missed.

St. John's has been out-rebounded in both Big East games it has played this season and Pitino has put an emphasis on the statistical category all season since the Johnnies are an undersized squad.

Adding 6-foot-7 RJ Luis to the equation should help for St. John's but it will be up to its guards, along with Joel Soriano and Chris Ledlum, to try and balance the rebounding and prevent multiple shots for its opponent on each possession.