St. John’s discovered itself on early upset alert.
Enjoying within the NCAA Event for the primary time since 2019, the second-seeded Johnnies missed their first 5 pictures in Thursday evening’s first-round assembly with No. 15 Omaha and shortly fell behind, 7-0.
The Mavericks would go on to steer for many of the sport’s first 14 minutes.
It was an inauspicious begin for Rick Pitino’s Crimson Storm, who entered Amica Mutual Pavilion in Windfall, R.I., as 18.5-point favorites however largely lacked NCAA Event expertise.
However St. John’s, because it has all season, pulled away within the second half to earn a 83-53 victory, establishing a marquee second-round matchup with John Calipari’s No. 10 Arkansas on Saturday.
It was the Johnnies’ (31-4) first win within the NCAA Event since 2000.
Omaha (22-13), the Summit League champion making its first-ever NCAA Event look, bought off to its quick begin by controlling the tempo early.
The Mavericks challenged St. John’s to beat them from behind the arc, attempting to use a Crimson Storm group that ranked 343rd within the nation in 3-point capturing at 30.4%.
St. John’s began 2-of-9 on 3-point makes an attempt, repeatedly settling for pictures early in possessions. It trailed, 20-14, greater than 11 minutes into the sport.
However then the Johnnies bought going.
Deivon Smith’s 3-pointer on the 6:22 mark of the primary half put St. John’s up 22-20 for its first lead of the sport. Rubey Prey added a 3-pointer on the subsequent possession, placing the Crimson Storm up for good.
These makes got here within the coronary heart of a 16-2 run by the Crimson Storm, throughout which they went 4-of-5 from 3-point vary.
Nonetheless, St. John’s led solely 33-28 on the half. That was largely the results of hard-hustling Omaha outrebounding St. John’s by 10 earlier than the break.
However there was no Cinderella story available.
St. John’s remained sizzling from past the arc within the second half, with Luis drilling a 3-pointer on the opening possession and Aaron Scott including two extra inside the first 4 minutes.
That set the tone for a dominant second half wherein St. John’s outscored Omaha, 50-25.
Making his NCAA Event debut, Luis led St. John’s with 22 factors and exited to “MVP” chants. The Massive East Participant of the 12 months shot 8-of-14 from the sphere, together with 5-of-8 from 3-point vary.
With their first win on the Massive Dance in a quarter-century, the Johnnies snapped one more drought. They beforehand gained their first outright Massive East regular-season championship since 1985 and their first Massive East Event crown since 2000.
The most recent feat took place 175 miles from their campus in Queens, permitting St. John’s followers to pack the sector. Town of Windfall continues to be good to Pitino, who famously led Windfall School to the Ultimate 4 in 1987 towards the start of his storied profession.
Pitino had warned his group about wanting previous a lesser opponent.
As he ready this week, Pitino confirmed his gamers the most important NCAA Event upset he’s suffered in his 5 a long time of teaching. That loss got here in 2011, when No. 13 Morehead State surprised Pitino’s No. 4 Louisville group, 62-61, within the Spherical of 64.
With Thursday’s win behind them, the Crimson Storm flip their focus to an Arkansas group (21-13) that outlasted Invoice Self and No. 7 Kansas, 79-72, within the sport that preceded theirs in Windfall.
Saturday’s assembly between St. John’s and Arkansas (21-13) is ready to resume a decades-long rivalry between Pitino and Calipari.
The Corridor of Fame coaches’ historical past started some 33 years in the past, when Pitino, then at Kentucky, beat Calipari, then at UMass, within the Candy 16 in 1992.
That sport was simply the beginning of an epic back-and-forth that’s seen the coaches meet in two Ultimate Fours — and win one apiece; go head-to-head within the NBA and Convention USA; and later share a state when Pitino led Louisville and Calipari helmed Kentucky.
Saturday’s sport is the primary since 2016 between Pitino and Calipari, the latter of whom leads the all-time collection, 13-10.
