St. John’s-Seton Hall battle has big NCAA Tournament implications
St. John’s will enter Thursday’s Big East Tournament quarterfinal controlling their tournament fate, according to almost all Bracketologists.
nypost.com
By Zach Braziller
Pressure, Rick Pitino insisted, is a good thing.
It should be welcomed, not feared. Sought after rather than avoided.
“I love it,” the St. John’s coach said. “I think it’s the greatest word for any competitor. Whether you take [tennis great] Billie Jean King’s analysis of pressure as a privilege or mine. Pressure to me is your ally, it’s your best friend in life. This is what we live for, these moments.”
Of late, it has been good to St. John’s. Three weeks ago, it had its back firmly against the wall.
There was no wiggle room left. Win out in the regular season or the goal of reaching the NCAA Tournament was dead barring a Big East Tournament title.
The Johnnies haven’t lost since, reeling off five straight wins to close the regular season, flipping the stript on what looked like a lost year.
They will enter Thursday’s Big East Tournament quarterfinal controlling their tournament fate, according to almost all Bracketologists.
A win over local rival Seton Hall, and St. John’s will go dancing for the first time since 2019. A loss, and the NIT is likely.
“In the last three weeks, it’s been Russian roulette for us every game,” said Pitino, who won the Big East Tournament three times as Louisville’s coach.
It all comes down to 40 minutes of basketball.
Getting through to Friday night’s semifinals — which would be the first time since 2000 for St. John’s — will not be easy.
Seton Hall swept the season series, crushing St. John’s (19-12) in Newark and rallying from 19 down at UBS Arena.
The Pirates (20-11) need the game, too. While they may have more runway to reach the tournament, a loss would likely send them to the First Four in Dayton.
The New Jersey school should be just as desperate.
Pitino emphasized two significant areas of improvement in the third meeting: the free-throw line and the glass.
Seton Hall attempted 67 free throws in the first two games, compared to 27 for St. John’s. It also won the rebounding battle by a combined 23. That has to be different Thursday.
Seton Hall’s been a challenge for us all year,” senior guard Jordan Dingle said. “Obviously, we know there’s a lot of stuff that we need to change going into this game compared to how we played the last couple of ones, and we’re just super focused on it. At this point, it’s win or go home. We’re playing for our livelihood.”
Said Pitino: “Seton Hall is a different opponent than any opponent in the league because they play a style of play that’s really, really difficult. They get after you, and we’ve got to be ready for that.”
It was that second loss to Seton Hall that changed everything for St. John’s.
Pitino went on a postgame press conference rant that became national news.
He was critical of several players, which he apologized for three days later. His team went on to win five straight games.
Dingle and Chris Ledlum have come alive. Glenn Taylor Jr. and RJ Luis have alternated big performances. The Red Storm have gone from well off the tournament bubble to the right side of it.
“This team is capable of winning [games in the Big East Tournament] and capable of winning in the NCAA Tournament,” Pitino said. “Would I have said that three weeks ago? Probably not, but they have evolved into where I hoped they would evolve to, and that’s really great to see.”
It has all led up to this. A chance to return to the NCAA Tournament in Piitno’s first year. Exact revenge on Seton Hall for the two losses. Get back to the Big East Tournament semifinals.
There couldn’t be any more pressure. It’s win or most likely settle for the NIT. St. John’s believes it is ready.
“We’ve known from the last five, six games that we needed to win out. It’s not really anything new,” Dingle said. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing. That’s where people really get to rise to the occasion.”
