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TRY IT NOWSt. John’s waited a year to experience Selection Sunday redemption, so another 30 minutes wasn’t going to make a difference.
One year after experiencing the heartbreak of a burst bubble, the Johnnies left nothing to chance during a magical season that reached new heights Sunday, when they were the second-to-last team revealed in the 68-team NCAA Tournament bracket as the No. 2 seed in the West Region.
Of course, there was less suspense because the Big East regular-season and tournament champions had secured an automatic berth. The big reveal — a moment shared with others in an on-campus party held across from Carnesecca Arena — showed that the Red Storm will face No. 15 Omaha at 9:45 p.m. Thursday in Providence, with a tantalizing second-round matchup looming against the winner of No. 7 Kansas-No. 10 Arkansas.
“Were we upset [last year]? We were disappointed for the players,” said head coach Rick Pitino, who was much calmer Sunday than when he torched the NET ranking tool in 2024. “But we did something about it. You can’t do anything about not getting picked. But you can do something about making sure you get picked next time around.”
St. John’s players react upon finding out they play Omaha during a Big East selection view party on Sunday, March 16, 2025, Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
St. John’s (30-4) ran roughshod over the Big East right through Saturday night, when it connected on 14 straight field goals to turn a competitive conference championship game against Creighton into a blowout.
The Red Storm’s four losses — to Baylor, Georgia, Creighton and Villanova — came by a combined seven points. Only one came after the calendar turned to 2025.
“I was psyched,” Big East Player of the Year R.J. Luis Jr. said. “Last year was hard because we sat through the whole [selection] show thinking, ‘OK, next pick we are going to get in,’ and we didn’t. This year, we took care of business.”
RJ Luis (12) and St. John’s celebrate winning the Big East Tournament on March 15, 2025. Jason Szenes for the NY PostThe short drive to Providence for the fan base and a familiar arena might be slight advantages, but they could be offset by a first-weekend pod featuring two other national championship-winning coaches (Kansas’ Bill Self and Arkansas’ John Calipari).
“I’m just going to focus on Omaha,” Pitino said. “I’ve lost in the first round before, so we’ll just focus on that. … Our players are not tired right now. They’re on a high.”
St. John’s leads the nation in defensive efficiency, and Kansas transfer Zuby Ejiofor — the Big East’s Most Improved Player — leads the nation in offensive rebounding. The third member of the Big 3, playmaker Kadary Richmond, flirted with more than one triple-double down the stretch.
Will those strengths be enough to offset shooting 29.9 percent from 3-point range and 68.8 percent from the free-throw line during the regular season, when those are weaknesses that have haunted favorites against Cinderellas for years in the NCAA Tournament?
“That’s our identity — playing defense and offensive rebounding,” Luis said. “I think it definitely travels. We want to play up and down — very fast — and be aggressive.”
Zuby Ejiofor holds up the trophy as St. John’s celebrates winning the Big East Tournament on March 15, 2025. Jason Szenes for the NY PostSt. John’s captured its first outright Big East regular-season title since 1985 and its first tournament crown since 2000 in just Pitino’s second season at the helm. He became the first head coach to lead six different teams to the NCAA Tournament (Boston, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville, Iona, St. John’s).
But his team doesn’t have much NCAA Tournament experience, which is why he devised a plan to instill a mindset in players to treat the regular-season finale against Marquette and Big East Tournament as if they were “survive and advance” games.
“When you have a lot of experience, you learn what not to do as much as what to do,” Pitino said. “You must understand that you have to stay focused. This is the time of the year when everybody is filling out brackets.”
St. John’s players react upon finding out they play Omaha during a Big East selection view party on Sunday, March 16, 2025. Corey Sipkin for the NY POSTLuis told The Post recently that winning a national championship is “no longer a dream … more like something that is achievable.” The tune changed Sunday to “one game at a time.”
Pitino did some preliminary homework on some possible first-round opponents like Robert Morris, but not first-time March Madness participant Omaha (22-12). Pitino was handed a stat packet on Omaha almost immediately after the matchup was announced, Luis said, and his plan was to immediately watch film of their conference matchups to play defense.
The No. 2 seed marks St. John’s highest since 2000, when it was upset by Gonzaga in the infancy of its rise to a superpower. One year earlier, as a No. 3, St. John’s reached the Elite Eight and finished one win shy of its first Final Four trip since 1985.
“This is my seventh year in New York and I’m happy as a kid right now,” said backup center Sadiku Ibine Ayo, an Our Savior Lutheran high school product. “Winning in New York is pretty special. Around 3 a.m. [Sunday] I was just saying, ‘Wow’ to myself. This is pretty amazing. I think it’s an inspiration to every kid from New York — all the boroughs — that anything is possible.”
Meet The Red Storm
Last NCAA appearance: 2019
NCAA Tournament history: 30 appearances, 27-32
How they got here: In his 37th season as a head coach, Pitino adapted to the new landscape of NIL and the transfer portal and lured four veterans to finish off a team that jelled quickly by this era’s standards. The Red Storm went 9-2 out of conference and then steamrolled the Big East — with one loss since New Year’s Day — to win the regular-season and conference tournament titles, earning an automatic bid.
Player to Watch
A role player off the bench who underwent preseason and postseason surgeries in 2023-24, R.J. Luis Jr. blossomed into the Big East Player of the Year and the conference tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after dropping 27 second-half points in the final. The 6-foot-7 wing is a two-way force who slashes to the basket and has seen a late-season uptick in his 3-point shooting on one end and offers matchup versatility on the other.
Key Numbers
1: The Red Storm’s national ranking in defensive efficiency (points allowed per 100 possessions).
4.3: Offensive rebounds per game for Ejiofor, who leads the country in that category.
6: Teams that Pitino has led to the NCAA Tournament as head coach — a number unmatched in college basketball history.
