Spring is in the air, with that — the madness of the Big East tournament begins.
Day one saw some unlikely outcomes, with Providence coming back from a 16-point deficit to beat Butler. Richard Pitino and Xavier shocked Big East fans with their unlikely win over Marquette. Now on day two, it was the Johnnies turn to get in on the action, successfully downing the Friars in a lopsided 85-72 victory.
Here’s five takeaways from a quarterfinal contest that didn’t deliver the anticipated emotional fireworks between the two rivals, but a feel-good Red Storm atmosphere.
Applying pressure early — the key to victory.
An 0-for-6 start from the field followed by five consecutive offensive rebounds, followed by a 9-0 run that extended to a 20-5 lead. The exact way you’d like to approach the quarterfinal round of the Big East Tournament.
Providence showed a sign of weakness, hanging their head after long stretches of dominance from the Johnnies, fully exposing their failed coaching staff.
It was total domination through the first 20 minutes, St. John’s keeping their foot on the gas, leading 48–27 thanks to multiple factors. The rebounding differential was otherworldly, holding a 26-13 ratio over the Friars, while also forcing eight early turnovers, which translated into 12 points — scoring 19 points on the fast-break.
“We played awesome defense tonight,” said Rick Pitino. “Our first half was as good as we’ve played all year.”
It’s been a bipolar season for the Red Storm, showing glimpses of first-half domination while also showing their 2024-25 form of slow starts, followed by second-half dominance. St. John’s can tremendously set themselves up for success in the NCAA tournament with consistent starts from the jump.
When will the Red Storm learn to play a full 40 minutes of basketball?
How ironic, after the first takeaway you’d expect the second half to follow a dominant first 20 minutes. However, it’s the exact blueprint St. John’s has unluckily followed: not playing consistent for the full 40 minutes.
It was a dominant win for the Johnnies, but at one point, Providence found themselves trailing by 12 with 10 minutes to play outscoring the Red Storm 19-11 — with the Johnnies shooting 4-for-13 from the field.
“We made a couple of bad plays,” said Pitino on the teams second half play. “It’s hard to play with a lead in this environment.”
Bryce Hopkins, looking for blood.
The first game against the Friars was an emotional mess for Bryce Hopkins. The second was a physical warzone, the third — revenge. Hopkins didn’t get what he was looking for from his first two contests with his former team, letting the noise from the Friars fans get in his head, while forgetting the bigger picture.
However, even with a hostile environment from the Providence fanbase, Hopkins was out looking for blood.
In the quarterfinal contest, Hopkins delivered, leaving his emotions in the past to help dominate the Friars. In the first half alone, Hopkins delivered 11 points, starting 5-for-6 along with five rebounds. The graduate forward finished his contest with 14 points and 13 rebounds, providing emphasis with every slam.
“It means a lot, seeing the ball go through the rim,” said Hopkins. “My biggest focus was playing through my teammates, I know I have a ton of great players around me, I’m looking to keep it going.”
Over the last 10 games, Hopkins has emerged as a gamechanger for the Red Storm — scoring 12 points with seven rebounds, along with a steal while holding a shooting split of 41/23/71 %.
“Bryce is still getting better,” said Pitino. “There’s still room for improvement. He’s a good ball-handler, but I wish he would shoot more threes.”
If Hopkins can continue his recent stretch of consistent play, the Johnnies can have another much-needed weapon in the NCAA tournament.
A glass cleaning party
If one thing isn’t clear, St. John’s will always try their best to dominate opponents on the glass. This season, the Red Storm are 40th in total rebounds per game, totaling 38.7, while being 21st in offensive rebounds per contest, totaling 13.2.
Against Providence, the Johnnies made it apparent, the glass was their responsibility, responding from six consecutive misses with five straight offensive rebounds. In the contest, the Red Storm totaled 51 compared to the 30 from the Friars — a +22 board differential.
The St. John’s dominant backcourt finished the afternoon with 31 of the team’s 51 rebounds, an even larger emphasis on how dominant their backcourt can be come tournament time.
A preview to the transfer portal — Stefan Vaaks, a potential target?
With Kim English reportedly on the way out, there will likely be several Providence players expected to hit the transfer portal. Freshman forward Stefan Vaaks is likely one of them — one of the most dangerous shooters, who could instantly make a 2026-27 St. John’s even deadlier from beyond the arc.
Vaaks was one of the few players who showed up for the Friars in the loss, playing 36 minutes, scoring 23 points with five rebounds, while also going 7-for-12 from the field and 5-for-9 from beyond the arc. Vaaks already has the range you’ll see in the NBA, making his name one to watch in the portal over the next several weeks.
