From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, Rick Pitino's first year as the head coach of St. John's Red Storm Men's Basketball team has been a roller coaster of a year.
The team currently sits at a 19-12 (11-9 in conference) record as the no.5 seed in the Big East and has picked it up recently after a midseason slump that saw the Red Storm lose eight of ten games.
After stringing together some late-season wins, St John's now find themselves as one the four teams in the bubble with the Big East Conference tournament coming up this week; St. John's should be one team to watch as we move closer to March Madness.
The Red Storm is coming into the Big East Tournament, winning five of their last six games, which includes some big wins against divisional rivals in Creighton and Georgetown.
They ended their season with a much-needed 86-76 win over rival Georgetown Hoyas on Saturday thanks to some late-game heroics by Sophomore RJ Luis Jr. who scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half.
It was a close game throughout that saw the Hoyas have a good shooting performance from behind the arch, but still the Johnnies were able to pull the victory out in their season closer.
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St. Johns Awaits the Big East Tournament
To get in Rick Pitino's squad needs a strong showing in the Big East Tournament to have any hope of getting their name called on Selection Sunday.
They will face Seton Hall, a team that has already punched their ticket to the big dance with a win against Villonova on Thursday, in the first round of the Big East Tournament.
Seton Hall has defeated St. John's twice throughout the regular season, with their last win coming in a 68-62 nail-biter back on February 12th .
The winner on Thursday likely gets a shot at No.1 UConn on Thursday.
A NCAA Tournament berth would be the Johnnies' first since 2019 and fourth since 2002. Picking up a win against Seton Hall and advancing in the Big East Tournament will help the Red Storm if they wish to have a shot at a seat in the NCAA Tournament.
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