This was 24 years in the making.
Over two decades of Big East Tournament futility. Treating its home arena like a nomad. Blowing one big lead after another.
Thursday afternoon, St. John’s drought finally ended.
It played a strong game. It looked at home at the Garden. And now, after this commanding 91-72 win over fourth-seeded Seton Hall, it is headed back to Friday night’s semifinals for the first time since 2000.
With this victory, the No. 5 Johnnies’ sixth in a row, they are likely headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling, man,” said Joel Soriano, who lost in this round each of the previous two years.
This was billed as a must-have for Rick Pitino’s team by almost all bracketologists.
St. John’s answered the bell, as it has for over three weeks now, in beating the rival Pirates for the first time in three tries. It will meet second-ranked Connecticut in a blockbuster semifinal at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
“UConn is like the big dragon,” star point guard Daniss Jenkins said. “You want to take him down. They’re the best. We got a great opportunity. Friday night, it’s going to be a great atmosphere, and we get another chance at the big giant.”
When asked about his team’s NCAA Tournament prospects, Pitino said: “We’re going to try to win this Big East crown.”
The Red Storm left no doubt coming out of the locker room after halftime, reeling off six consecutive points to seize control.
Pitino’s team took it to the Pirates, winning the battle on the glass by 10, owning the paint (42-26) and shooting 52 percent from the field. It was also a near-perfect 19 of 20 from the free-throw line.
This certainly looks like a different team than the one that had lost eight of 10 before this winning streak. Prior to this run, Pitino met with members of the St. John’s administration.
They congratulated him on what they felt was a solid first season. He didn’t want to hear it.
“In our minds, it was just beginning, because March is what it’s all about in college basketball,” he said. “We told the guys, you gotta play your best basketball going into the March. And we knew we had six elimination games. And these guys rose to the occasion in all six.”
The Ivy League transfers, Jordan Dingle and Chris Ledlum, continued their late-season ascension, combining to score 25 points.
RJ Luis led the way with 18 points and nine rebounds and Soriano enjoyed his best performance in weeks, producing 14 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. Nahiem Alleyne added 14 points off the bench and Jenkins had 11 points and four assists in 22 foul-plagued minutes.
Al-Amir Dawes scored 22 points for Seton Hall (20-12), but his two co-stars, Kadary Richmond and Dre Davis, were held in check.
They were limited to 21 points on 6 of 20 shooting. Despite the loss, the Pirates are still likely going dancing, although a trip to Dayton for the First Four could be their penalty for this one-sided setback.
“We had to get them back,” Luis said.
St. John’s (20-12) controlled the first 20 minutes, but only led by five, the result of Seton Hall hitting seven 3-pointers. The second half had been an issue for the Red Storm, prior to this recent streak.
Of their nine league losses, they held a lead at halftime in six of them. But on Thursday, they started hot scoring on their first three possessions to push the lead to 11. When Dingle sank a 3-pointer, the lead was 14 with 12:48 to go. Seton Hall never got closer than seven the rest of the way.
The last few minutes felt like a party. “Let’s go Johnnies” chants bounced off the walls of the Garden. The excitement around this group is building.
“It’s surreal,” Ledlum said, reflecting on his first conference tournament game. “The atmosphere, the environment, my niece was on the big screen dancing. It was like a movie to be honest.”
