There’s one thing that will remain the same for Rick Pitino in every single contest: a different starting lineup.
In the 97-49 win over Bucknell, St. John’s saw Joson Sanon replacing Ruben Prey to total the lineup at three guards, the opposite of their three big-men approach from their win over William & Mary on Nov. 15.
The same was said during this game. The Red Storm got off to a very frustrating start, one that saw them in a back-and-forth battle with Bucknell through the first 13 minutes, leading just 23-20. Obviously, Pitino’s squad was able to combat it with a dominant run, commanding a 12-0 run in a five-minute span, ending the half with a 41-25 lead.
From there, the Johnnies never looked back, annihilating the Bison in the second half to win 97-49. As always, here are five takeaways from a second-straight dominating St. John’s win.
The Red Storm have options to turn to if Zuby Ejiofor underperforms, and that’s a great thing.
Yes, Zuby Ejiofor is the best player at St. John’s, but does the team really have an identity without him? There was clear struggle from Ejiofor to start the contest, missing his first two takes while also going 0-for-2 from the free-throw line. Along with this, Zuby committed two goaltending penalties with two turnovers.
The problem is the fact that St. John’s has struggled to pick up for Ejiofor if performing under his standards.
Ian Jackson, the five-star North Carolina transfer, hasn’t gotten off to the perfect start with the program, struggling to find the perfect role. Bryce Hopkins has been consistently in the shadow of Ejiofor but has quickly begun to make his presence known with three straight 15-plus-point performances.
Here’s a quick answer to the question: Ruben Prey. The Portugal icon has been a force to reckon with when Ejiofor is off the court, showcasing improvement on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court.
If you don’t want to turn to Ruben Prey, turn to co-captain Dillon Mitchell, the point-forward who can record a double-double even off the bench. In the win, the former Bearcat totaled 10 points with 11 rebounds and four steals off the bench.
The Red Storm have a ton of weapons in the inventory, not just Zuby Ejiofor. With that, pressure can be lifted off the big man’s shoulders.
Rick Pitino was dead-set on not caring about names
Rick Pitino said it best last game: “I try to play the best player regardless of reputation. I’m not coaching by reputation; you’re all new to me, with the exception of Zuby, Sadiku, Ruben and Lefty. I don’t care what you did before; I’m playing the best five guys.”
Pitino snapped into fury after an embarrassing start from the starting unit, going straight to the bench after just three minutes of play.
Ruben Prey played seven minutes in the first half compared to the 13 minutes from starting center Ejiofor. The same was visible from Lefteris Liotopoulos, who saw an increase in role due to his elite shooting ability. The second-year Johnnie scored five points in eight minutes, going 1-for-3 from the line.
Liotopoulos would again see increased minutes in the second half, along with Prey, both respectively playing seven and 10 minutes.
Even in a blowout, Pitino was able to get everything he wanted out of his lineups, using Joson Sanon effectively for 21 minutes off the bench.
“I don’t think any of you will ever ask again who is starting again,” said Pitino jokingly. “If you guys do, you aren’t highly intelligent.”
Rick Pitino will always be known for his strategic lineups, which we may see again next week against one of the most physical teams in the country when playing Iowa State.
St. John’s first-half play has been worrisome; second-half play again flipped the game upside down.
It’s now been back-to-back games where the Red Storm have shown first-half struggles, both games coming against mid-major opponents. Now, this is completely normal to witness during the opening of a season, but it looks awfully familiar, especially to the 2024-25 St. John’s team, which averaged 38 points in the first half of games compared to 40 in the second half.
The Red Storm entered halftime with a comfortable 41-25 lead, but the performance on the court wasn’t comfortable. It was a concerning performance that saw Rick Pitino empty his bench just three minutes into the contest.
As a young fan put it, St. John’s second-half play was “goodsome.” Through the first seven minutes of second-half play, the Johnnies forced 11 turnovers thanks to physical and aggressive defense provided on a full-court press that left Bucknell scrambling. Pitino has been looking for this all season, especially from guard Ian Jackson, who looked like a completely different player.
The Red Storm defense continued to command the half, keeping the Bison without a field goal for 12 straight minutes, hitting the three-minute mark before finally recording a basket.
The Red Storm strung together 58 total second-half points, allowing only 24 to the Bison, an ultimate domination.
“I thought they played together,” said Pitino. “They were very active defensively. In the second half, we did a lot better offensively.”
The Red Storm will need to piece together a stronger start in games if they want to be successful during their trip to Las Vegas with a ranked Iowa State team and a Baylor team that gave them trouble last season.
Bryce Hopkins is showing the “greatness” Rick Pitino was worried about
Shockwaves were sent throughout the Big East when Rick Pitino said Bryce Hopkins wasn’t at the “great” level just yet, leading people to think Pitino was being hard on the newest transfer, although Providence fans loved it.
Hopkins has seemingly gotten comfortable in Queens, now recording three straight contests with 15-plus points, leading the team in scoring in the win over Bucknell. In just 17 minutes, the former Friar totaled 20 points, shooting 78% from the field along with three 3-point shots, three steals and a plus/minus of 14.
Hopkins is one of the rare players on this current St. John’s team who plays with immense physicality on defense and offense, working hard for all of his points while, on the defensive end, being a freak of nature to force turnovers.
However, Pitino still feels like Hopkins isn’t quite there yet. “We’ll see how he approaches the Iowa State game,” said Pitino when asked if Hopkins has reached the “great” level yet.
Nonetheless, the former conference rival has so far impressed with the Red Storm, showing his transition hasn’t been difficult, contrary to what many Providence fans believed.
Ian Jackson and Joson Sanon showed promise
Four games into the 2025-26 season, both Ian Jackson (20 points) and Joson Sanon (10 points) showed that they could be key contributors this season.
It’s hard to expect players to immediately make a direct impact on new programs, especially for St. John’s, which has four brand-new starters after a large amount of turnover from the transfer portal.
Ian Jackson, the former five-star North Carolina transfer, isn’t off to the greatest start, but a 20-point performance can begin steering him in the right direction.
“I thought he did a really good job,” said Pitino. “Defensively and offensively. He didn’t force things. In practice he is getting better and better.”
Both Jackson and Sanon possess the ability to make many NBA teams happy potentially next season or the year after, but their potential still needs to fully be unlocked before worrying about professional basketball.
