Time and time again this season, Rick Pitino has delivered for St. John’s.
Its first outright Big East regular-season title since 1985.
Its first Big East Tournament title since 2000.
And now, officially cemented following their win over Creighton in Saturday night’s conference championship game, the Red Storm’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 2019.
The Naismith Hall of Famer has led St. John’s (30-4) to a No. 2 seed in the West Region, it was announced during Sunday’s bracket reveal. It will play No. 15 Omaha in the first round Thursday at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island.
St. John’s, which has 30 wins for the third time in program history, earned its highest NCAA Tournament seed since 2000, when it was also a No. 2 seed.
The Red Storm would face either No. 7 Kansas or No. 10 Arkansas in the second round Saturday in Providence. Florida is the No. 1 seed in the West. The regional semifinals and finals will be played in San Francisco. The Final Four is in San Antonio.
Pitino, in his second season at St. John’s, is the first coach to take six different teams to an NCAA Tournament. The others were Boston University, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville and Iona.
In 2019, St. John’s was one of the last four at-large teams selected and lost to fellow 11-seed Arizona State in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio. It will play its first Round of 64 game since 2015, when the ninth-seeded Red Storm lost to No. 8 San Diego State.
The Red Storm have not won an NCAA Tournament game since 2000, when they beat No. 15 Northern Arizona in the first round and lost to No. 10 Gonzaga in the second round.
St. John’s has not made the Sweet 16 since 1999, when it also reached the Elite Eight. It has not made the Final Four since 1985 and has played in only one national championship game, a loss to Kansas in 1952.
Last season, Selection Sunday left the Red Storm with disappointment instead of elation. On the bubble with a 20-13 record and a No. 32 NET ranking, St. John’s was not even among the selection committee’s first four teams out of the field.
A year later, St. John’s enters the Big Dance as one of the country’s elite teams, and it is playing its best basketball of the season. St. John’s has won nine straight games, 19 of its previous 20 and 25 of its previous 27. The Red Storm’s four losses have come by a total of seven points, none by more than three.
St. John’s has the nation’s top defense, according to KenPom.com’s adjusted defensive efficiency ratings. St. John’s is 64th in adjusted offensive efficiency and shoots only 30.4% from three, though they were an improved 36.5% from deep (19-for-52) during the Big East Tournament.
Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis Jr., All-Big East first-teamer Zuby Ejiofor and all-conference second-teamer Kadary Richmond highlight a group hoping to make more history.
