No. 7 St. John’s clinches share of Big East title
Feb 27, 2025, 12:36 AM ET INDIANAPOLIS– RJ Luis Jr. scored 24 points and No. 7 St. John’s clinched a share of its very first Big East regular-season title in 33 years by beating Butler 76-70 on Wednesday night.Kadary Richmond had 13 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 takes for the Red Storm (25-4, 16-2), who set a school record for conference wins and secured the 6th Big East regular-season championship in program history.They can conclude a straight-out league crown Saturday with a triumph over Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden or a Creighton loss at Xavier. The only outright Big East regular-season title for St. John’s came in 1985 en route to a Last 4 look.
“We are not interested in sharing anything,” said 72-year-old Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino, who has led an amazing turn-around in 2 seasons at St. John’s. “I’ll share other things in my life. I’m not thinking about sharing champions.”
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1 Associated Zuby Ejiofor included 12 points for the Johnnies, playing with their greatest ranking in the AP Top 25 survey considering that December 1991. St. John’s tied Georgetown and Seton Hall for the Big East regular-season crown that season– the final one in Queens for coaching excellent Lou Carnesecca, who passed away Nov. 30 just a couple of weeks shy of his 100th birthday.Jahmyl Telfort had 13 points and seven rebounds for Butler (13-15, 6-11), held to 39% shooting.Takeaways St. John’s: On a night when the Red Storm had a hard time
to produce separation, they still revealed their postseason potential by using their popular protective pressure. Butler shot 6-for-27 from 3-point range.Butler: Has actually lost the last five conferences with St. John’s. Key minute With the majority of the Hinkle Fieldhouse crowd on its feet, Ejiofor posted up 7-foot-1 Butler center Andre Screen
and scored
on a left-handed hook shot to extend the St. John’s result in 70-66 with 59 seconds remaining. When the Bulldogs turned the ball over on their ensuing ownership and dedicated a nasty, fans started streaming towards the exits.Key stat Butler held a 39-32 edge on the boards but was still outscored 18-12 in second-chance points.Up next St. John’s hosts Seton Hall on Saturday, while Butler sees Villanova.