St. John’s falls to Duke in the Sweet 16, capping a remarkable campaign
By Noah Zimmerman
noah@queensledger.com
The BIG EAST was well represented in the nation’s capitol last weekend. In the first of two thrilling Eastern Regional Final matchups on Friday night, the #5 St. John’s Red Storm took on the competition’s top overall seed in the Duke Blue Devils. Then in the nightcap, the #2 UConn Huskies faced off against Tom Izzo’s #3 Michigan State Spartans.
The trio of games were some of the best of the competition, featuring wild comebacks, physical battles, and one of the most memorable shots in NCAA Tournament history.
Red Storm Weathered in Washington, DC
A sea of red flooded Capital One Arena in Washington DC on Friday night as St. John’s returned to the Sweet 16 for the first time in over two and a half decades.
It was no easy task to get there. In their way were one of the best nation’s defenses in #12 Northern Iowa and a battle with Bill Self and Kansas that took a buzzer beater to win. Against the Jayhawks, St. John’s trailed for a total of 38 seconds of game time. Until their battle with the Blue Devils, it was the only time they trailed this postseason.
Against Duke, it was clear that the game had to be won from downtown. The Blue Devils featured the best interior defense in college hoops and the only way to beat them was to outpace them while limiting the damage inside.
Duke was fantastic, led by great performances by top draft prospect Cameron Boozer, his brother Cayden, and Isaiah Evans. A strong run gave them daylight in the first half, but they weren’t able to pull away.
St. John’s came out shooting like they never had before. They connected on five triples inside the first 12 minutes of play, including Dillon Mitchell’s first perimeter bucket of the season.
Off the bench, Ruben Prey also stunned Duke from deep. The Portuguese sophomore splashed on all three of his three-point attempts in the first half, with the last two coming in the last minute to give St. John’s a 40-39 advantage.
“We felt that we had to win the three point line in a big way to have any shot at this game and we did.” commented head coach Rick Pitino postgame. “If you break the game down it was just the drives to the basket that we could not guard. Duke has been doing that to a lot of teams.”
In the second half, St. John’s looked much sharper on defense and more dynamic in transition. The St. John’s fans roared with excitement, cheering on Ruben Prey’s fourth made three pointer in four attempts and a huge block to keep momentum with the Red Storm. The Johnnies finally began to build an advantage, with their largest lead at 10 points with 15 minutes left to play.
Oddly, Pitino didn’t continue to trust Ruben’s hot hand off the bench. Prey subbed off a few minutes later and didn’t return until the final 38 seconds of game time. It was in part due to Duke’s persistence down low, where St. John’s was unable to stop them from bullying their way into the paint. Within a few plays, the Red Storm lead evaporated, and with just a few minutes left, Duke began to once again seize control.
Making a miraculous return from injury was Duke’s Caleb Foster. He came back from a foot fracture after just a few weeks and played limited minutes in the first half before shocking his own coach with 11 points in 12 impressive second half minutes.
Between Foster, the Boozer brothers, and Evans, St. John’s just couldn’t stick with Duke. A final three pointer missed from Dylan Darling and two final free throws iced an 80-75 win for the Blue Devils.
The NCAA Tournament captures emotions like no other, and even though St. John’s put together their best season since 1999 and made history in BIG EAST play, both Zuby Ejiofor and Dillon Mitchell had a hard time fighting back tears in the postgame conference, not just because of the defeat but because of how it marked the end of their collegiate careers.
“We’re all very disappointed but I told our guys you trained all year like you trained in the Olympics,” Pitino said. “You’re at the podium right now and you’ve got a bronze medal around your neck because you won the BIG EAST regular season and championship. It’s not as good as the gold, it’s not as good as the silver, but you’ve got a bronze and you should feel very, very proud of that.”
Huskies Hold Off Spartans, Shock Duke
UConn followed up Duke’s victory with what seemed to be a blowout of Michigan State. Despite the homegrown talent of Tom Izzo’s Spartans squad, Bill Hurley and the Huskies dominated early, going up 25-6 in the first half. The arena was in a state of shock, expecting another tight game.
The crowd eventually got what they were expecting as the Spartans fought their way right back into the game. Fans in green exploded as State leveled the score in the second frame. Still, the Huskies remained in control. A few clutch buckets and free throws allowed them to finish a 67-63 win.
UConn wasn’t done taking the air out of the building. In their Elite Eight showing, they climbed back from a 19-point deficit against the Blue Devils.
With the seconds waning on a 72-70 game on Sunday evening, a feverish Huskies press forced Cayden Boozer to toss away the ball. It was tipped and turned over, with UConn quickly outletting to senior star Alex Karaban with a chance to tie or win.
The fourth-year Husky kicked the ball out to freshman Braylon Mullins, standing on the midcourt “March Madness” logo. Mullins didn’t hesitate to hoist up a shot, sailing into the net with just 0.3 seconds left on the clock.
It was instantly one of the most memorable March Madness plays, and depending on their result in the Final Four this weekend, Mullins may have cemented himself in college basketball history.
Now UConn will play for a chance at a third national title in four years. They take on Southern Region champions #3 Illinois on Saturday April 4 at 6:09pm. The winner will play in the title game on Monday at 8:50pm.
Red Storm Look Ahead to Next Year
Moving forward, St. John’s will do their best to replace their wealth of graduating talent. Obviously Zuby Ejiofor highlights the departing class, but the Red Storm will sorely miss Dillon Mitchell’s athleticism, Bryce Hopkins’ two-way talent, and Oziyah Sellers’ shooting.
Following the tournament exit, it was also announced that co-captain Sadiku Ibine Ayo would explore the transfer portal in search of more minutes in his final season of eligibility.
The bulk of St. John’s minutes went to the top transfer class in the nation this season, so it’s likely more transfers will come in to bolster next year’s group. There’s also promising sophomores like Prey and Ian Jackson who could step into even larger roles next season.
Following his historic back-to-back BIG EAST titles and this year’s Sweet 16 run, Rick Pitino signed a new contract to make him the 2nd highest paid coach in the conference after Hurley. It comes with sizable raises for him and his coaching staff, as well as an additional year meaning Pitino is under contract until after the 2029-30 season.
Pitino has transformed a stagnant program into a powerhouse, and he picked up career win #915 against Kansas. With a few more years in Queens, there may be enough time for him to become the third coach in NCAA history to win over 1,000 games.
For Zuby, the St. John’s Basketball Ring of Honor awaits next year. Until then, the big man will see where the cards fall in the 2026 NBA Draft. He is currently projected to be a second round pick, but his physical skillset, shooting ability, and unmatched work ethic could make him a valuable talent at the next level.
