St. John’s Remains Perfect in 2025 with Wins vs Providence, #11 Marquette, #19 UConn
By Noah Zimmerman
RJ Luis Jr. carries the ball down the court against UConn. The junior guard led all scorers with 21 as he was named Naismith National Player of the Week.
(Photo courtesy of St. John’s Athletics)
Rick Pitino’s Red Storm have a habit of putting themselves in tough situations, but every time their backs are up against the wall they’ve clawed their way back on top. In their first three matchups in February, St. John’s showed off their toughness and grit as they fought their way to the top of the BIG EAST and finally into the nation’s Top-10.
On Monday St. John’s were ranked #9 in the AP Top-25, also coming in at #8 on the national Coaches Poll. They entered Wednesday’s contest at Villanova with a 10-game conference winning streak, the program’s best since 1984-85 when the legendary Lou Carneseca led the Redmen to the Final Four.
St. John’s dispatched each foe in January before opening this month with their second win of the year against Providence. It was Kadary Richmond who put the finishing touches on a tight battle with the Friars, as he cut to the free throw line where he pulled up for the game-winning jumper as St. John’s got the win at Madison Square Garden, 68-66. The senior guard had a season-high 24 points, also pulling down 8 rebounds in the effort.
Debuting their brand new #12 ranking, St. John’s welcomed #11 Marquette to MSG. As the rankings suggested, the two sides were incredibly well-matched as a gruelling back-and-forth battle unfolded at the Garden. Neither team was able to build a significant lead.
What finally helped St. John’s seize control was their defensive effort, a point of pride for Pitino’s squad. Even with their shooting struggles, the Johnnies were able to match the Golden Eagles’ offensive output. Phenomenal rebounding helped St. John’s to a significant edge on field goal attempts, as they pulled down 50 boards to Marquette’s 28, with almost half of their rebounds coming off the offensive glass.
St. John’s went 3/16 from three point range, one of their worst perimeter shooting nights all year. They shot 17/31 from the free throw line, a consistent issue all season long.
Just six minutes into their game last Friday, the Johnnies found themselves in their most precarious position yet; down 21-8 on the road against the back-to-back defending national champions. The #19 Huskies bared their fangs on defense, refusing to allow St. John’s to their most efficient spots near the paint, and the three point shots refused to fall for the Red Storm.
The Huskies showed why they were such a feared squad, even after so many of their stars were scooped up in the NBA draft. Just a number of months after turning down the Los Angeles Lakers, Dan Hurley returned to seek a third consecutive national championship with Connecticut.
Still, Hurley’s Huskies were far from unbeatable. The Johnnies got more physical on defense and began to push quickly in transition as they were able to snatch back a 37-35 lead going into halftime. The Red Storm forced a remarkable number of turnovers against a well-coached squad.
UConn played St. John’s at their own game, with brutal interior defense and consistent rebounding on both sides of the floor. Again St. John’s hit a wall with their shooting. 4/21 from deep and 12/16 from the charity stripe put the Johnnies in a tough spot, but strong work by RJ Luis Jr. helped St. John’s stay in control.
In the final minutes St. John’s were finally able to build their largest lead of the game, with some clutch steals and transition buckets finally putting them ahead. Kadary Richmond showed off his handles with a gorgeous reverse layup and Luis Jr. used a great screen by Zuby Ejiofor for a catch-and-shoot midrange bucket as the game was finally put to bed.
With 21 points, Luis led all scorers in the primetime showdown. He was named Naismith National Player of the Week, the first Johnnie to win the award since Joel Soriano in 2023.
The 68-62 win cemented St. John’s in first as they snapped UConn’s remarkable 9-game winning streak over ranked opponents. After taking the floor against Villanova this week the #9 Red Storm return to MSG to host Creighton, looking to avenge their only conference loss. After visiting DePaul they will host UConn at MSG on Sunday, February 23.
RJ Luis Jr. carries the ball down the court against UConn. The junior guard led all scorers with 21 as he was named Naismith National Player of the Week.
(Photo courtesy of St. John’s Athletics)
