St. John’s men’s basketball team secured its second straight Big East Tournament championship with a 72-52 victory over UConn on March 14. The Red Storm, now with a record of 28-6, dominated the tournament and clinched an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
This achievement marks St. John’s fifth Big East Tournament title and the first time in program history it has won back-to-back regular season and tournament championships. The team led for nearly all of its three tournament games against Providence, Seton Hall, and UConn, continuing a strong run that includes winning 19 of their last 20 games since January.
Head Coach Rick Pitino earned his fifth Big East Tournament crown and his sixteenth overall conference tournament title in his college basketball career. Pitino joins Jim Boeheim, John Thompson, Jay Wright, and Jim Calhoun as coaches with five or more Big East titles. Zuby Ejiofor was named the Dave Gavitt Trophy winner for Most Outstanding Player after averaging nearly 20 points per game during the championship run and setting a school record with seven blocks in the final.
Bryce Hopkins contributed significantly throughout the tournament and was named to the All-Tournament Team alongside Dillon Mitchell. The Red Storm started each game strongly, including an early double-digit lead against UConn that set the tone for their decisive win at Madison Square Garden.
St. John’s plays home games in Queens, New York according to the official website. The team participates in the Big East Conference under the Red Storm nickname and has claimed six Big East Tournament championships along with two National Invitation Tournament victories according to the official website.
The program will host a Selection Show Party at Carnesecca Arena as it awaits its NCAA Tournament opponent announcement on CBS. Over the past two seasons, St. John’s has posted a 25-2 record at Madison Square Garden, tying its highest two-year win total at that venue.
