St. John's Returns to Royalty with First Big East Crown in 40 Years
Madison Square Garden trembled with history. The fans stood, roared, and let it sink in. St. John’s had done it. For the first time in 40 years, the Red Storm stood alone at the top of the Big East.
The scoreboard read 71-61, a final score that felt less like a number and more like a declaration. The road was tough. The fight was relentless. But St. John’s would not be denied.
Seton Hall came to spoil the moment. The Pirates clawed, fought, and made every St. John’s possession a battle. Their defense frustrated the Red Storm all night. Hands in passing lanes. Bodies flying for loose balls. Every bucket St. John’s scored felt like it had been earned in blood.
Rick Pitino expected nothing less.
“We had to win these games to get it done, and we did,” Pitino said. “Once you get on Broadway, the pressure is on because you don’t want to get canceled.”
The Red Storm were not about to let their show get pulled.
With Seton Hall’s defense making every dribble a nightmare, RJ Luis Jr. became the difference-maker. The junior forward played with an edge, pouring in 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting. He didn’t just score—he willed buckets into existence.
And on defense? He embraced the grind.
“Thanks for screaming at me, Coach,” Luis said with a grin after the game. “I know it’s all love. I’ve grown to love defense. I want to be the best two-way player I can be, and being under Coach Pitino’s wing has been indescribable.”
Alongside Luis, Zuby Ejiofor was a force inside, securing a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. His strength in the paint kept the Pirates from ever getting comfortable.
Kadary Richmond didn’t have his best scoring night but impacted the game with nine rebounds and seven assists, setting the table for his teammates.
Seton Hall’s Dylan Addae-Wusu led the Pirates with 18 points, but the Red Storm held the rest of the lineup in check, forcing 13 turnovers and dominating the glass (41-23 rebounding advantage).
A Moment Decades in the Making
The moment the final buzzer sounded, the players didn’t rush to cut the nets. They grabbed the trophy, held it high, and let the confetti rain down.
Pitino turned to the roaring crowd and took it in.
“Seeing the fans return and selling out the Garden four straight games, that has been the biggest surprise of this season,” Pitino said. “We wear shirts on campus—PHD: Passionate, Hungry, Driven. We wanted to win the Big East.”
This was more than a win. It was a rebirth. St. John’s hadn’t won the conference outright since 1985, back when Chris Mullin and Lou Carnesecca patrolled the court and the sidelines.
That was the last golden era. This might be the beginning of a new one.
One More Test Before the Tournament
The job isn’t done. The Red Storm has one final regular-season showdown against Marquette next week. Then, it’s on to the Big East Tournament, where the goal is simple—cut down more nets.
Pitino knows there’s still work to do. But tonight? Tonight was for celebrating.
“The next goal is to constantly play with this desire and grit, grow this team and community. The fans came back, and now kids will want to play for this school. There's no silver spoons at St. John's. This is New York. It's a city of winners. We're just getting started.”
The Garden stands full of belief.
Final Score: St. John’s 71, Seton Hall 61 Big East Champions
