Pitino takes No. 6 St. John’s into Big East Tournament with 1st top seed at MSG since 1986
Pitino takes No. 6 St. John’s into Big East Tournament with 1st top seed at MSG since 1986
NEW YORK (AP) — Rick Pitino has already turned back the clock at St. John’s and restored a winning tradition.
Now, the Red Storm want to make some March Madness memories, too. Starting on center stage in New York City this week.
Coming off their first outright Big East regular-season championship in 40 years, the sixth-ranked Johnnies (27-4, 18-2) are the top seed in the conference tournament at Madison Square Garden for the first time since 1986.
A lock to end an NCAA Tournament drought that dates to 2019, they’ll attempt to win their fourth Big East Tournament title — and first since 2000.
“We’ve been doing historic things all season,” guard Kadary Richmond said. “It’s March, so it’s time to close in and prepare well and play every game like it’s your last.”
No. 25 Marquette, seeded fifth, is the only other Big East squad ranked in the AP Top 25 poll.
But unlike last year, when just three conference teams made the NCAA Tournament in a decision that was widely panned, the league appears to have four schools on solid ground (including Creighton and UConn) going into Selection Sunday.
A fifth, No. 4 seed Xavier, is sitting squarely on the bubble and arrives at MSG riding a seven-game winning streak.
“I think we’re playing our best basketball of the season right now,” Xavier coach Sean Miller said. “I feel like we’re an NCAA Tournament team.
“I’ll also tell you, there’s some smart people on the committee. I know there’s a lot of worthy teams,” he added. “We have to be at our best in New York City. That’s when you want to play your best.”
In a game with high stakes, Zach Freemantle and the Musketeers (21-10, 13-7) face Kam Jones and Marquette (22-9, 13-7) in the quarterfinals Thursday.
“Toughness is the price of admission to even have a chance to win,” said Shaka Smart, who coached the Golden Eagles to the 2023 tournament crown.
“Teams are fighting. Teams are battling. Teams are physical. Officials are letting a lot of things go, as they have all year. They’re not going to change in the Big East Tournament.”
The action tips off Wednesday afternoon, with No. 8 seed Providence playing ninth-seeded Butler in the opener of a first-round tripleheader. The winner gets St. John’s in the initial quarterfinal Thursday.
House call
For the first time in a long while, The Garden should truly feel like home sweet home this time of year to the banged-up Johnnies, who hope to have point guard Deivon Smith back from a shoulder injury.
At recent Big East Tournaments, fans from Northeast rivals such as UConn, Villanova and Providence packed “The World’s Most Famous Arena” and clearly outshouted St. John’s backers.
But led by Associated Press Big East player of the year RJ Luis Jr. and forward Zuby Ejiofor, the Red Storm have recaptured the building with big comebacks and close wins during this scintillating second season under Pitino, their 72-year-old Hall of Fame coach. St. John’s is 18-0 at home, including 9-0 at MSG, for its first unblemished home record since 1931-32.
The team has been drawing boisterous, sellout crowds at The Garden down the stretch in a throwback to its 1980s heyday under Lou Carnesecca, when the school reached the 1985 Final Four and won Big East Tournament crowns in ’83 and ’86.
Another one might just be enough to land the Johnnies a No. 2 seed in the NCAAs.
Picked fifth in the Big East preseason coaches’ poll, the Red Storm have won six games in a row — and 16 of 17 since the new year — to match a program record for regular-season wins. Their two league losses were by a combined three points, at Creighton and Villanova.
“I’m very grateful for the type of team I have, but maybe sometime in June or July, I’ll just be on the beach and be very thankful for the season. Right now, I’m just laser-focused on the next Big East game, the next practice. I’m not patting myself on the back,” said Pitino, who won three Big East Tournament titles at Louisville from 2009-13.
“We’ve treated every single game like it’s our last one on Earth.”
Under pressure
Villanova (18-13, 11-9) is seeded sixth again and coach Kyle Neptune is on the hot seat. His team might need to win this event to avoid missing the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year since he replaced Jay Wright.
Eric Dixon, the nation’s leading scorer at 23.6 points per game, and the Wildcats open against last-place Seton Hall. A victory would earn a quarterfinal matchup with No. 3 seed UConn (22-9, 14-6), the two-time defending NCAA champion.
Bird watching
Spurred by 7-foot-1 star Ryan Kalkbrenner and point guard Steven Ashworth, the Creighton Bluejays (22-9, 15-5) hope to improve their 0-4 mark in Big East championship games. They’re the No. 2 seed for the second consecutive year, after getting ousted by Providence in the 2024 quarterfinals.
___
AP Sports Writer Steve Megargee in Milwaukee contributed to this report.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 all season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
By MIKE FITZPATRICK
AP Sports Writer
