Let the Insanity start for St. John’s.
Rick Pitino’s resurgent Purple Storm are the No. 2 seed within the NCAA Match’s West Area and can face No. 15 Omaha on Thursday in Windfall, R.I., within the Spherical of 64.
With a win, St. John’s would face the winner of No. 7 Kansas vs. No. 10 Arkansas on Saturday in Windfall within the Spherical of 32.
The West Regional is about to happen on the Chase Heart in San Francisco. Florida is the No. 1 seed within the West, whereas Texas Tech is the No. 3 seed.
St. John’s earned that No. 2 seed after going 30-4, together with 18-2 in convention play, and profitable its first outright Massive East regular-season championship since 1985 and its first Massive East Match since 2000.
The Johnnies went 5-1 in opposition to ranked groups and 6-4 in quadrant-one video games, in accordance with the NCAA’s Web Rankings, which values wins and losses based mostly on components together with location and opponent file.
Their 4 losses have been by a mixed seven factors.
Thursday’s sport marks a return to the Massive Dance for St. John’s, which final appeared within the NCAA Match in 2019. St. John’s has not gained an NCAA Match sport since 2000.
St. John’s was one in all 5 Massive East groups to make the match.
Becoming a member of the Johnnies have been UConn, a No. 8 seed within the West; Marquette, a No. 7 seed within the South; Creighton, a No. 9 seed within the South; and Xavier, which can face Texas within the First 4 for the prospect to be the No. 11 seed within the Midwest.
Auburn is the highest general seed and headlines the South Area. Duke is the No. 1 seed within the East, whereas Houston landed the No. 1 seed within the Midwest.
The Johnnies missed the match final 12 months regardless of ending 20-13, together with 11-9 in opposition to the formidable Massive East, of their first season below Pitino.
However this 12 months was totally different.
St. John’s led the Massive East in factors (78.7) and rebounds (40.9) per sport whereas limiting opponents to a conference-low 65.9 factors per sport.
Junior guard RJ Luis Jr. gained Massive East Participant of the Yr after averaging 18.1 factors and seven.1 rebounds per sport, then was named the convention match’s Most Excellent Participant after he averaged 20.7 factors and eight.0 rebounds.
Pitino gained Massive East Coach of the Yr, whereas junior ahead Zuby Ejiofor was named the convention’s Most Improved Participant and joined Luis on the All-Massive East first crew. Senior guard Kadary Richmond made the All-Massive East second crew.
St. John’s enters the NCAA Match on a nine-game profitable streak and as winners of 19 of the final 20 video games.
Nonetheless, Pitino says he isn’t trying to “send any messages to anyone” about his crew.
“I take life one day at a time,” mentioned Pitino, who led Kentucky (1996) and Louisville (2013) to nationwide championships.
“I take it one game at a time. I don’t consider ourselves [in a way] that people should beware of us. I’ve lost in the first round. I’ve been to seven Final Fours. So we’ll take it one game at a time, one possession at a time.”
St. John’s went 18-0 in residence video games throughout the common season, then blew out Butler, Marquette and Creighton at Madison Sq. Backyard throughout the convention match. The Johnnies completed 12-0 on the Backyard, taking part in in entrance of sellout crowds a number of instances down the stretch.
“We want to get the No. 2 seed in the East so we can stay local and our fans can come out and support,” Luis mentioned after beating Creighton, 82-66, within the Massive East Match championship sport.
Regardless of ending fifth within the Massive East preseason coaches’ ballot, St. John’s went into the 12 months with the objectives of profitable the Massive East’s regular-season and match championships.
With these missions completed, St. John’s now will get to work on what Pitino describes as “phase three.”
“Phase three was to make the tournament,” Pitino mentioned, “and go as far as we could possibly go.”
