It’s been a while since St. John’s has had this much success, and fans are beginning to feel the excitement.
“We want UConn! We want UConn!” some of them chanted during the final seconds on Tuesday as the 12th-ranked Red Storm defeated No. 11 Marquette 70-64 in their Big East matchup at Madison Square Garden.
The win marked a strong start to a key week for Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino’s team, which remained in sole possession of first place in the conference and moved to 1-1 against ranked teams this season.
Next up is a game Friday night at No. 19 UConn, the two-time defending national champions.
“It’s a nice feeling. It’s good to enjoy it. But we know we’re not done,” said guard Kadary Richmond.
Richmond, a transfer from Seton Hall, had an impressive all-around performance with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.
Leading scorer RJ Luis Jr. contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds as St. John’s (20-3, 11-1) won for the 15th time in 16 games. The Red Storm has now won nine straight regular-season Big East games for the first time since the 1984-85 season, when the program reached the Final Four under legendary coach Lou Carnesecca.
“We put in a lot of hard work in the preseason. You guys can see it now,” said Luis. “I think we’re having a great season. We have a lot to accomplish yet. And the guys are hungry and we’re going to go after it.”
Zuby Ejiofor added 13 points and 13 rebounds to help St. John’s improve to 15-0 at home in front of a roaring crowd of 16,521. The crowd included New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone, former Mets closer John Franco, and former Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz.
With their highest ranking in 25 years, St. John’s is off to its best start since 1985-86. The last time the program was 11-1 or better in Big East play, the Johnnies opened 14-0 in 1985 during the glory days led by Carnesecca and star player Chris Mullin.
“Seeing St. John’s come back is so much fun,” said the 72-year-old Pitino, now in his second season at St. John’s. “I’m having a blast coaching these guys. I’m having a blast seeing The Garden explode like this. I’m so happy for the fans and so appreciative of everybody coming out and being supportive of us.”
Marquette (18-5, 9-3) lost its second straight game and is now 3-3 since a six-game winning streak. The Golden Eagles had won the previous six meetings between the teams.
“That was a heck of a game by St. John’s,” said Marquette coach Shaka Smart. “Hats off and much respect to coach Pitino, their whole program, and all their guys. I thought they played with incredible violence. They were just the more aggressive team for the majority of the game.”
