St. John’s forward Glenn Taylor Jr. (35) and Joel Soriano (11) celebrate in the last minute of play against Creighton during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
It was a collapse against Seton Hall last month that sent St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino on the tirade that is now seen as the turning point of the Red Storm’s season.
After blowing a 19-point lead to the Pirates at UBS Arena on Feb. 18, St. John’s had lost eight of its previous 10 games while their NCAA hopes appeared finished before conference tournament play even began.
Five-straight wins, however, have righted the Johnnies — including a win over then-No. 15 Creighton — to revitalize their March Madness hopes. They finished the regular season with a 19-12 record and 11 Big East wins, their most in a single season since winning 12 in 2010-11, to gain the No. 5 seed heading into the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden.
Currently, they are considered a “Last 4” team to make the 2024 NCAA Tournament, but they’ll need to make some noise at the Big East Tournament to solidify their spot in the field of 68. Especially because they’re just 3-9 against Quad 1 opponents this season, per the NCAA’s Net Rankings.
That sort of pressure isn’t bothering Pitino or his team.
“Pressure to me is your ally, your best friend in life. Stress is your enemy,” Pitino said. “This is what we live for, these moments. I think we are all under pressure when you get to this time of year… but it’s fun. Pressure makes it fun. We have been under this pressure thing the last [five] games in a row because if we lost any of those, we wouldn’t be on this proverbial [NCAA Tournament] bubble they talk about all the time.”
One win would at Madison Square Garden would help. Two would be invaluable, but standing in their way, again, will be the No. 4 seed Seton Hall on Thursday afternoon (2:30 p.m. ET, FS1) which has beaten them twice this season.
“The thing about the Big East is that every game is a challenge,” guard Jordan Dingle said. “I can’t say that there is a special vengeance we are seeking out for any one team in particular. Over these last five games, it has really been us focusing on ourselves. Yeah, [Seton Hall] did get us in the regular season and we are upset about that, but we can’t focus on what other teams are doing. We have to focus on being the best versions of ourselves and going out there and giving 100%.”
A loss in their opening game of the tournament against the Pirates, though, would leave St. John’s in limbo. The more upsets and bid-stealing teams that emerge from other conferences, the less likely their NCAA Tournament hopes become.
“We know if we lose it may very well be our last game. I wouldn’t necessarily call that pressure, but if you want to refer to it as that I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” Dingle said. “I think that’s where people really get the chance to rise to the occasion and everybody is going to step up their game. I have full confidence in our team.”
2024 Big East Tournament odds*
- UConn -150
- Creighton +400
- Marquette +500
- Villanova +1600
- Seton Hall +3500
Odds courtesy of DraftKings. For more, click here.
*Sports gamblers in New York are not permitted to bet on New York teams
For more on St. John’s and the Big East Tournament, visit AMNY.com
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