Rick Pitino is just not within the temper to mirror.
Not but.
Not after No. 6 St. John’s completed off a historic 27-4 common season that included an 18-2 mark in Large East play.
Not after this system’s first outright convention regular-season championship since 1985.
And positively not with the Large East Match looming.
“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,” Pitino mentioned after Saturday’s 86-84 additional time win at Marquette within the regular-season finale.
“Right now, I’m just laser-focused on the next Big East game, the next practice. I’m not patting ourselves on the back.”
Pitino, 72, is aware of what’s at stake.
His red-hot Purple Storm enter this week’s Large East Match at Madison Sq. Backyard as the highest seed for the primary time since 1986. They’ve a first-round bye and gained’t play till Thursday afternoon, after they face the winner of Wednesday’s recreation between Windfall (13-18) and Butler (12-19).
St. John’s seeks to win the convention event for the primary time since 2000, which is identical yr they final gained an NCAA Match recreation.
“We’ve been doing historic things all season,” senior guard Kadary Richmond mentioned.
“It’s March. It’s time to close in, prepare well, get wins and play every game like it’s your last.”
Now of their second season below Pitino, the Johnnies enter the Large East Match as the favourite to win it. They’re 9-0 on the Backyard, the place they play a lot of their dwelling video games in opposition to convention opponents.
Behind an skilled roster, St. John’s leads the Large East in factors (78.6) and rebounds (40.8) per recreation whereas limiting opponents to a conference-best 66.3 factors per recreation.
“Our entire thing is to do whatever it takes to win,” mentioned junior ahead Zuby Ejiofor, the Large East’s Most Improved Participant. “It doesn’t always look pretty on every single night. It doesn’t matter. We fight through adversity. We’re a gritty team.”
However St. John’s is much from the one worthy contender on this week’s event.
Second-seeded Creighton (22-9) dealt St. John’s a uncommon loss this season and boasts 7-1 middle Ryan Kalkbrenner, who averages 19.4 factors, 9.0 rebounds and a couple of.7 blocks per recreation. The fifth-year senior simply gained Large East Defensive Participant of the 12 months for the fourth time.
Led by head coach Dan Hurley, third-seeded UConn (22-9) is the reigning Large East Match winner and the two-time defending NCAA champ. Many gamers from these groups are gone, however there’s no scarcity of expertise, beginning with freshman ahead Liam McNeeley, an anticipated lottery choose.
St. John’s wouldn’t face Creighton or UConn till the ultimate on Saturday, however Friday’s semifinal might spell a gathering with fourth-seeded Xavier (21-10) or fifth-seeded Marquette (22-9), who each took the Purple Storm to additional time this season.
That degree of competitors is why Pitino started preaching further urgency earlier than the regular-season finale.
“I said, ‘This is your one and done. You lose this game, the season’s over.’ That’s the way you’ve got to play it to prepare for March Madness,” Pitino mentioned. “You don’t just show up in March and say, ‘OK, this is what we’re going to do.’ You prepare for it now. You prepare for it at the Big East Tournament.”
Pitino gained the Large East Match in 2009, 2012 and 2013 as the pinnacle coach at Louisville. He led Kentucky to a nationwide championship in 1986 and Louisville to a different in 2013.
He is aware of profitable the Large East Match might show useful within the eyes of the Choice Committee when it comes to NCAA Match seeding.
“Probably, if we win out, we can get a two-seed, which would be great,” Pitino mentioned. “At the beginning of the year, everybody … that follows the Johnnies said, ‘Just make the tournament. Just make the tournament.’ And they’ve all been elated.”
It’s a far cry from final yr, when St. John’s wanted a deep run within the convention event for an opportunity to make the Large Dance for the primary time since 2019. The Johnnies misplaced to UConn within the Large East Match semifinal and had been in the end unnoticed of March Insanity.
St. John’s begins this yr’s convention event on a six-game win streak, although every of the final three victories got here in shut contests.
It solely will get harder from right here.
“We’re going to fix the little mistakes and we’re going to get ready for the Big East Tournament,” main scorer RJ Luis Jr. mentioned, “because that’s what we want to win, too.”
Initially Revealed: March 12, 2025 at 8:00 AM EDT
