“They’re confident, just a bit embarrassed,” Rick Pitino said after No. 15 St. John’s lost to the UConn Huskies in a game that was nothing short of, well, embarrassing.
The 72-40 final score was the lowest point total for St. John’s during the Pitino era in a must-win game against their bitter rivals. The Red Storm’s fate as repeat Big East regular season champions is now in limbo.
But the Johnnies couldn’t dwell on their loss for long, as a matchup against the Villanova Wildcats, the Big East’s biggest surprise, awaited them in MSG.
Fueling a triumphant 13-2 start for the Red Storm was a pregame lineup decision, moving the spark plug into a new role as the prominent ball handler proved to be the difference. The all-around play of Dylan Darling (7 pts, 4 asts) created a headache for ‘Nova inside-and-out: nailing a three-pointer, penetrating the paint and creating points for the offense around him.
His five points and two assists in the first five minutes of play may have solidified him as Rick Pitino’s new starting guard ahead of the Big East Tournament.
After a deflated opening stretch, the Wildcats’ backcourt of Acaden Lewis (8 pts, 3-9 FG) and Devin Askew (10 pts, 4 rebs, 3 asts) quickly retaliated. A combined eight points for the duo kept the Johnnies honest, closing in on their 15-11 lead across a 9-2 run.
But as any true hoops fan would tell you: basketball is a game of runs, and St. John’s would confirm that parable.
Like his co-partner, Darling, a new role for Ian Jackson (19 pts, 5 rebs, 5-11 FG) gave life to the offense. The UNC transfer showed signs of elite two-way capabilities, nabbing three steals and scoring nine points during a 15-3 scoring run for St. John’s.
“Ian Jackson must be a fan of mine,” Villanova head coach Kevin Willard said after the game, referencing Jackson’s 18 point performance against the Wildcats on Jan. 17 and this breakout game. “Darling is a pest, he really set the tone for [St. John’s]” Willard said, putting words to the strength of this backcourt duo.
Elite guard play hasn’t been consistent for Pitino this season, but against the Wildcats a new dynamic backcourt was the recipe for success in sustaining a crushing 48-23 lead at halftime.
Darling, Jackson and the perimeter excellence of Oziyah Sellers (14 pts, 2-3 3PT) were responsible for 33 of the team’s 48 points, thanks to their combined 21 points scored and six assists. The active hands of these three and overall smothering defense of the Johnnies led to eight ‘Nova turnovers, which the Red Storm scored a whopping 18 points off of.
Despite the newly discovered three headed hydra in the Red Storm’s backcourt, their paint attack was just as dominant as ever: outscoring the Wildcats 22-6 in the paint and corralling 23 rebounds to Villanova’s 14.
While St. John’s offense wasn’t as explosive as the first half, they still maintained a 20+ advantage for much of the second half, leading by as much as 26 at 67-41 with 10 minutes remaining.
The Johnnies defense remained consistently stifling, allowing the offense to stay even with Villanova thanks to a rare triple double from Zuby Ejiofor (16 pts, 12 rebs, 10 asts). With their captain fully integrating himself into the offense, the Red Storm coasted to a monstrous 89-57 victory.
“It was a good bounce-back for our guys,” Pitino stated after the win. “It’s crucial to see how a team responds to a terrible game.”
A victory obviously helps St. Johns’ hopes of repeated Big East supremacy, but the only thing they’re hoping for at this point of the season is a UConn loss.
To end their season, the Huskies will face Marquette on March 7 and the Johnnies will play their final home game of the regular season against Georgetown on March 3.
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