Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

St. John's

NCAA Regional: Pitino vs Duke Madness

by

WASHINGTON DC – (Staff and Wire Service Preview) – James Naismith Award favorite Cameron Boozer and Duke will continue their pursuit of the program’s sixth national title and first since coach Mike Krzyzewski’s retirement when they face coach Rick Pitino’s resurgent St. John’s in Friday night’s East Regional semifinal.

Embed from Getty Images

Boozer posted his 20th and 21st double-doubles in the first two rounds of the tournament as No. 1 seed Duke (34-2) survived a scare in a 71-65 win over No. 16 Siena, then comfortably handled No. 9, TCU by a 81-58 score.

The freshman forward could have a healthier squad behind him Friday. Center Patrick Ngongba II (right foot soreness) is cleared to play a second game after returning from a 19-day layoff against TCU. Caleb Foster (right foot fracture) will be a game-time decision as he tries to play for the first time since a win against North Carolina in the regular-season finale March 7.

“Pat responded well. You never know how that’s going to go. He’s on track to play again (Friday), which is a really big deal for us,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “Then Caleb, I just go back to when he got hurt, he told me, ‘Look, if I do this and work every day, you got to promise me you’ll let me put this uniform on again with our guys.’

Pitino is in his 14th Sweet 16 appearance and first with St. John’s (30-6) during a season that has represented a renaissance for coach and program alike.

Pitino was let go by Louisville after the 2016-17 season amid multiple scandals, eventually returned to coaching college ball at Iona after a three-year layoff, and moved to St. John’s for the 2023-2024 season.

Under Pitino, No. 5 St. John’s reached its first NCAA Tournament in six years last season, and is now making its first Sweet 16 showing since 1999. At age 73, he has no intention of this being a last hurrah.

“I just missed it every single day I was out of it,” Pitino said Thursday. “So I realized there’s no reason to try and get out because I knew how much I missed it.”

Dylan Darling sank a running layup at the buzzer to decide the Red Storm’s 67-65 win over No. 4 seed Kansas in the second round last weekend.

Big East Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 79-53 first-round victory against No. 12 Northern Iowa. He is the Red Storm’s top producer, averaging 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

He’ll be tasked with trying to limit Boozer and Duke on the glass, where the Blue Devils have outrebounded opponents by a plus-11 margin this year.

“Obviously just a special talent coming in as a freshman, really smart player, understanding the game pretty well,” Ejiofor said. “It’s never a one-man job, especially with Boozer. Really talented, really physical. We just got to make sure he sees bodies and really just get at them, apply the pressure, press for 40 minutes.”

– Field Level Media

Oh Darling! It’s Sweet 16 for Johnnies

by

SAN DIEGO – (Staff and Wire Report) – Oh! Darling! Please believe me.

St, John’s is leaving Southern California with a victory and are heading to the District to face Duke in the East Regional semifinals. Red blood out for blue blood.

Embed from Getty Images

The winner of that game faces either Michigan State or UConn/UCLA.

Johnnies’ point guard Dylan Darling’s first points of East Region No. 5 seed St. John’s 67-65, second-round NCAA Tournament win over fourth-seeded Kansas on Sunday came as the buzzer sounded, sending the Red Storm to their first Sweet 16 since 1999.

St. John’s (30-6) never trailed in the second half and led by as many as 14 points before the Jayhawks (24-11), behind Darryn Peterson’s 21-point effort, rallied to force a 65-65 tie.

Peterson sank a pair of free throws with 13 seconds remaining and Kansas — having been called for only two personal fouls in the second half — disrupted the Red Storm’s attempts to run a final play with intentional whistles.

But after exhausting its fourth straight foul near midcourt and with less than four seconds remaining, the Jayhawks defense broke down as Darling attacked the middle of the floor of the inbounds pass.

Zero-for-four from the floor before the buzzer-beating layup, Darling dribbled through a seam and laid the decisive basket off the glass to thunderous cheers from the St, John’s crowd at Viejas Arena.

Both offenses struggled to establish much rhythm throughout Sunday’s contest, with St. John’s scoring 14.5 points fewer than its season-long average of 81.5 per game, and Kansas finishing with 10.4 points fewer than its output.

The Red Storm shot just 25 of 69 (36.2%) from the floor, while the Jayhawks went 24 of 54 (44.4%). One difference for St. John’s was its 3-point shooting — specifically, Bryce Hopkins’ 3-point shooting.

Hopkins scored a team-high 18 points, all on 6-of-9 shooting from long range. The rest of the Red Storm went 5 of 26 from deep.

Embed from Getty Images

Peterson shot 3 of 8 from beyond the arc for Kansas, but the rest of the Kansas lineup combined for just two triples.

Former Jayhawk Zuby Ejiofor matched Hopkins’ team-high with 18 points and matched the game-high with nine rebounds. Ejiofor delivered some crucial plays in the final five minutes, including scoring off of an offensive rebound and taking a steal from Peterson the other way for a bucket on the very next possession.

With Sunday’s victory, St. John’s reached 30 wins in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons.

–Field Level Media

Tale of Two Coaches?

by

SAN DIEGO – (Wire Service Preview) – Only three active head coaches in Division I college basketball have won multiple national championships. Two of them meet for a berth in the Sweet 16 when Bill Self’s No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks face Rick Pitino’s No. 5 St. John’s Red Storm on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament East Region.

Embed from Getty Images

Self, winner of the 2008 and 2022 national championships at Kansas, praised Pitino’s continued success over multiple eras. Pitino is 30 years removed from winning his first title with Kentucky in 1996 and won another at Louisville in 2013, although the latter has been officially vacated by the NCAA.

“To me, the coaches (who) are so impressive are (those who) coached without a 3-point line, then became efficient with the 3-point line. Coached without a shot clock, then became one of the best with the shot clock – always evolving with the game,” Self said. “And (Pitino) has done that as well as anybody maybe ever.”

Pitino began his full-time head-coaching career in 1978 at Boston University, seven years before the introduction of the shot clock and eight before the 3-point line was introduced across college basketball.

His longevity puts Pitino in the unique position to guide his fourth different program, along with Providence, Kentucky and Louisville, to the Sweet 16. It would be the first such appearance since 1999 for St. John’s (29-6).

The Red Storm advanced to the second round with a 79-53 rout of No. 12 Northern Iowa on Friday, St. John’s seventh straight win overall and fourth in a row by 10-plus points.

The veteran trio of Oziyah Sellers, Bryce Hopkins and Kansas transfer Zuby Ejiofor have paced St. John’s, combining to average 40.5 of St. John’s 81.6 points per game. Ejiofor, the Big East Conference Player of the Year, posted a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double in Friday’s win.

Kansas (24-10), meanwhile, weathered a furious second-half comeback on Friday to advance past No. 13 Cal Baptist behind standout freshman Darryn Peterson’s 28 points.

The Jayhawks led by as many as 26 points before Cal Baptist cut the deficit to six points with 1:20 left in the 68-60 Kansas win.

Pitino offered effusive praise of Peterson, a potential No. 1 overall pick in this summer’s NBA draft. The 6-foot-6 guard is averaging 20.1 points per game despite battling a variety of injury issues throughout the season.

“He’s got great size,” Pitino said of Peterson. “He’s got a beautiful-looking jump shot. …He’s going to be a great NBA player because he has an NBA game.”

Peterson’s presence on the Kansas roster reflects one of the many positives Pitino touted when analyzing his counterpart in Self. Pitino called the Kansas coach a “great evaluator of talent” on top of being a multidimensional tactician.

“He’s a great offensive coach and he’s a great defensive coach,” Pitino said. “He’s such a well-rounded guy. His teams do everything well.”

The Jayhawks come into the second round with a balanced resume but with especially impressive defensive credentials. They have held opponents to 44.5% shooting on 2-point field-goal attempts and only 30.5% from beyond the arc, both top 25 nationally.

Big men Flory Bidunga and Bryson Tiller both rank in the top 150 nationally in block percentage, per KenPom.com.

They will clash with a stout St. John’s frontcourt led by Ejiofor, whose 16.3 points per game come on 55% shooting from the floor.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | March 15

by

Embed from Getty Images

St. John’s Wins Second Consecutive Big East Title

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – What – on Earth – did we do before we had the annual BIG EAST basketball tournament? Well, I’m old enough to remember being at the Nassau Coliseum, watching St. John’s compete against the likes of Iona (1978-79) or the Wagner College Seahawks, coached by P.J. Carlesimo for an ECAC tournament bid a year before the BIG EAST became reality in 1979-80.

This year marked the 46th annual BIG EAST. I think I’ve only missed one year (terrible food poisoning in 2003).

Let me try to do a short flashback of most memorable players or moments:

  1. 2009, Six Overtimes – Syracuse outlasted Georgetown (127-117) in a game that began on March 12, 2009 and ended on March 13 – a four hour battle royale.
  2. 2020, COVID-19 – St. John’s, having won the night before, was up 38-35 at the half, when the great BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman called off the game and the tournament on the advice of New York City authorities. It was the eeriest atmosphere for any game in the history of Madison Square Garden. Put it this way, they even “closed the bars.”
  3. 1986, Pearl Washington – Although his Syracuse team fell short in the final, there’s never been a more amazing and entertaining show at the BIG EAST than Pearl Washington in ‘86, although Pearl put up 27 points in a 1984 final round loss to Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas.
  4. 1984-85, Georgetown – For two+ years, Patrick Ewing and his Hoyas dominated the BIG EAST. Ewing is – by far – the greatest player in conference tournament history.
  5. 2017-18-2019, Villanova – Coach Jay Wright’s Villanova Wildcats took over Madison Square Garden for three solid seasons.
  6. All years, The Coaches – Highlighted by St. John’s coach Lou Carnesecca and Georgetown’s Big John Thompson, the cast of characters (and tremendous coaches, all around) deserve mention. Villanova’s Rollie Massimino, Seton Hall’s P.J. Carlesimo, Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, Rick Pitino’s years at Providence (and Louisville, and now St. John’s), Boston College’s Al Skinner, UConn’s Jim Calhoun, Notre Dame’s Mike Brey, Villanova’s Jay Wright, Providence (and now Georgetown’s) Ed Cooley, a face-off between St. John’s legend Chris Mullin and Georgetown’s incomparable Patrick Ewing who both returd to coach their alma maters, however unsuccessfully), and now Danny Hurley of UConn.
  7. Many years, UConn Greatness – At the risk of leaving someone off the list, let’s remember Ray Allen, Donyell Marshall, Richard Hamilton, Khalid El-Amin, Kemba Walker, Caron Butler, Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, Rudy Gay, Alex Karaban, and I’ll stop at Stephon Castle. Just incredible.
  8. 2025, and St. John’s Coach Pitino – It took St. John’s 25 years – from 2000 to 2025 – to win the BIG EAST Tournament title. You have to give credit to coach Rick Pitino for pulling off the feat.
  9. Syracuse, 1981 and 2006 – Aside from Pearl Washington’s incredible performances, the Syracuse Orange won in 1981 over Villanova (remember John Pinone?) on a Leo Rautins tip-in and some last second free throws after Nova Coach Rollie Massimino called time-out when he’d run down to zero left. Then, in 2006, Syracuse guard Gerry McNamara single-handedly willed his team to victory after vistory after the Orange had lost nine of their last 13 regular season games.
  10. The Garden, every year since 1983 – After fooling around in Providence (1980), the Carrier Dome in Syracuse (1981) and the Hartford Civic Center in 1982, the BIG EAST made – with no argument at all – the greatest move in conference history by establishing a longterm agreement for Madison Square Garden to host the annual tournament. With NYC being the center of the sports media world while also being squarely in the middle of the heavily northeast member schools (call it Boston to DC for the most part – all Amtrak connections), the BIG EAST jumped on the World’s Most Famous Arena and The Garden has paid it back 100-times over and over and over. There is no better college bsaketball tournament, no better venue and no better place for teams, players, coaches, media, alum, fans and TV than a packed house at Madison Square Garden – the Mecca of College basketball.

*Special mention must be made as a tribute to the late Dave Gavitt, the founder of the BIG EAST, and his successors, Michael Tranghese, the late John Marinatto, Mike Aresco and, now the best of ‘em all in Val Ackerman, the incredible Commissioner of the conference which is known for basketball (men’s and women’s), but checks every box in terms of top notch inter-collegiate athletics.

**There’s also a special very, very special honorable mention for 1985, when the BIG EAST sent three teams to the NCAA Final Four in Lexington, Kentucky and Ed Pinckney and the Villanova Wildcats upset Georgetown in the final, one of the greatest games in college basketball history. Chris Mullin and St. John’s were eliminated by Georgetown on Final Four Saturday when 30-minutes before the tip-off of that game, an earbud breaking chant of “Anybody but Georgetown, Anybody but Georgetown” rang out.

The 2025-26 BIG EAST standings when the week began (ESPN)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: There’s no better way to recap the 2026 BIG EAST championship and five days at Madison Square Garden than with a popular WWYI timeline. We’ll have to see if the week merits a special song for Parting Words & Music.

Here We Go:

Tuesday, March 10, 2026: Travel Day

10:14am – Amtrak, Southbound to Penn Station/Moynahan Terminal: One of the easiest trips of all-time. It’s affordable and efficient, arriving right under The Garden where I’ll be spending an amazing number of hours. Plus, the top half of this column was written on the train ride (and, yes, off the top of my head- fact checkers be damned).

It always strikes me, tourists come from all over the world to experience New York City. They visit Lincoln Center, Broadway, see all the sites. Meanwhile, I stay within a four-block radius of Penn Station and Madison Square Garden for five days, and, as Maxwell Smart said so well, “And, loving it.”

1:01pm – Check-in with my wonderful sister-in-law, APM, and all is well. For one night, I’ll be crashing at the apartment of APM and WBG and a chance to see my niece and her dog, Cosmo. – Also checked with my brother-in-law, WBG, who was so kind in nailing two tickets to see the great Tedeschi-Trucks Band at The Beacon Theatre tonight – thus the early travel day.

6:00pm – Planned a meet-up at Dive 75, an old favorite where we once surprised the great Kevin Sullivan by walking from The Beek to the bar after an Allman Brothers Band show, only for him to discover and be astonished that Derek Trucks and the whole band (minus Gregg Allman) was there. Sully held court with the band and merch guys, telling stories about traveling on Air Force One with President George W. Bush, as Kevin was the President’s Director of Communications.

7:45pm – After a quick beer at Dive 75, it was short walk to Paradise and one of my favorite places in NYC in The Beek. The rest of the night belonged to TTB for their residence in one of the world’s great venues (Beacon Theatre – 74/755th/Broadway) – The Tedeschi Trucks Band is the best touring band in the world.

7:46pm – The Tedeschi Trucks Band took the stage at the sold out Beacon. They did not disappoint. Here is the set they played. Click HERE.

11:45pm – Smart move, starting the week off, and turned in “early.”

Wednesday, March 11: (New York City)

8:00am – A good night’s sleep and a short walk to a fave Dunkin’ and it was “New York, just like I pictured it.”

8:30am-12 Noon – Took opportunity to gather content, information, great photos and built out the entire evening’s BIG EAST competition previews.

3:00pm – Check-in at MSG and, as usual, the buttoned-down Big East staff had everything in order. Easy security check and two seconds to get my credentials, lovely Courtside, Row 6 on the Seventh Avenue baseline. That’s the same EXACT seat occupied for about five straight years. (Yes, I did thank the staff and after all these years, and it felt like this tournament was my first one. I take nothing for granted). By the way, the first one was the 1970 NIT when Marquette beat St. John’s in the final, 65-53, and Dean Meminger was the MVP. Meminger was later draft and starred for the New York Knicks 1973 championship team. I was 10.

4:00pm – In the 2026 BIG EAST tournament opener, No. 8 seed Butler took on #9 Providence. The Friars handled Butler, 91-81, and played hard for coach Kim English who was facing the firing squad quad from Providence athletics.

6:30pm – In closest game of day, Xavier edged Marquette, 89-87. Neither team impressed, and that is reason the Big East Conference might only send two or, possibly, three teams to the NCAAs.

9:00pm – In the nightcap, fans were witness to the low No. 11 seed Georgetown Hoyas upsetting No. 6 DePaul, 63-56. This game was the first to tip the scales towards an “old skool” – “OG” – BIG EAST tourney.

Georgetown vs. Villanova | The Battle of the Patagonia Vests.

Thursday, March 12: (NYC, Madison Square Garden – all day and night)

10:30am – After a decent night’s sleep and a good Marriott provided breakfast, it was an easy walk to The Garden from 28th Street & 7th Ave to the press entrance at Tower Bridge (31st and 8th Ave). Our spring-like weather Tuesday, in the 70s, turned to 36 degrees, cold and breezy.

12 Noon – St. John’s handled a determined and energetic Providence team, 85-72. The rumor mill since mid-season was the final 2026 Providence game would be coach Kim English’s last with the Friars. That came true on Friday, as Mid-term report cards reached home and every single student at the college dropped English.

2:30pm – No. 4 Seton Hall and No. 5 Creighton enjoyed byes and opened their tournament efforts with a highly contested, typical, physical BIG EAST game. The Jersey side Hall sent Creighton packing and flying back to Omaha, 72-61.

That set-up a Seton Hall vs St. John’s Friday semi-final.

One personal note was that I was able to spend some quality time with my brother (Wednesday evening and Thursday’s night session) and with my NBA colleague Matt Winick for the St. John’s vs Providence game. It’s now a nice, little tradition to join Matt for a couple of the Thursday games. Please note, as he was the person who interviewed me for an internship at the NBA on December 20, 1980. Sometimes, I think what might’ve been if Matt ditched my resume into the circular file. Sheesh.

7:00pm – The night session was packed with the UConn faithful, an incredible sight that was noticeably missing when Connecticut stuck with the football side of the BIG EAST and decided to play in the American Conference where they’d be hanging in Birmingham, Alabama instead of the World’s Most Famous Arena. UConn dominated Xavier, 93-68.

9:30pm – The Late Show featured the “old skool” match-up of Georgetown vs. Villanova, aka the “Battle of the Patagonia Vests.” Of course, many think of one of the greatest college basketball upsets ever when ‘Nova defeated Patrick Ewing and the Hoyas at the Final Four (championship game) in Lexington, Kentucky in 1985. (Yes, I witnessed it in person). On this night, No. 11 Georgetown sent Villanova to the Moynihan Amtrak Terminal and the late departing Crescent to New Orleans with stops at Metro Park, Newark, and to 30th Street Station. Georgetown advanced, 78-64, holding off several Villanova attempts to comeback. Georgetown’s Malik Mack played 37 minutes and orchestrated the Georgetown offense while scoring 12 points on a night he did not shoot the ball well (4-for-15). Teammate Julius Halaifonua (Go ahead, say that three times, fast) had 21 points and 10 rebounds, (on 9-for-12 shooting).

Upon very late night departure, WWYI caught the end of OKC’s 104-102 win over the Boston Celtics on TV.

Friday, March 13 (New York City):

Once again, it was some coffee and a Marriott provided breakfast in the hotel restaurant area where French, Spanish, German and Japanese were the languages of tourists visiting NYC. They sight-see, go to Lincoln Center, and Broadway. I prefer staying in a four block radius of Madison Square Garden.

Early AM Hours – Plenty of time to write, catch-up on emails and our NBA Basketball School Turkiye online site. Then, quality time watching The PLAYERS Championship on Golf Channel.

3:30pm – It’s Time.

3:45pm – Proceeded right to my press seat at The Garden and settled in nicely to a mostly empty building.

4:00pm – Early arrival at MSG provides a glimpse of the night ahead, as game ops rehearses national anthem, some introductions, and other event-related rituals. The Garden’s sound system is tremendous, and we went from the late Bob Weir and the Grateful Dead doing Playing in the Band to Nipsey Hussle doing Reckless to Emerson, Lake and Palmer doing Karn Evil 9, First Impression.

5:30pm – The ball is tipped and St. John’s vs. Seton Hall is on. The Johnnies hold Seton Hall scoreless for the first three minutes of the game and take an early 8-0 lead before Pirates’ coach Shaheen Holloway calls time-out to talk things over. St. John’s scored each of its first four FGs inside, while controlling the boards early (6-2 in rebounds). Seton Hall subbed out four players, sort of like taking four cards after the initial deal in poker, eh?

5:45pm – The Hall Strikes Back. It’s 10-7 by the 15:00 minute media time-out. Lotta basketball and – for this timeline, it’s only going to be the KEY moments going forward as opposed to a running story.

6:45pm – St. John’s led Seton Hall, 38-30, at the half. Stat sheet showed a very even game all-around with Red having a slight rebounding edge, 17-13. St John’s guard Dylan Darling logged 13 of the first 20 minutes and got to every loose ball. The coaches call them the 50-50 balls, but Darling somehow comes up with the 25-75 balls when his opponent has the edge. Amazing player, but is struggling with his shot in this tournament.

6:58pm – St, John’s came out for the second half with an impressive 9-0 run, (to make it 47-30), and Holloway was forced to call a time out to regroup (again). As the second half progressed, Seton Hall made a number of runs to cut the lead to six points with 4:41 remaining, but SJU scored six straight points, to eventually close it out at 78-68.

Afterward, St. John’s coach Rick Pitino met with the media: “We bent a little bit down the stretch after playing great basketball, but we never broke, and Seton Hall breaks everybody,” he said. “They come back against everybody because of their intensity, So, I’m really proud of our guys. They made good defensive plays down the stretch. Certainly, when you can break pressure and make your free throws, you’re always going to have a great chance of maintaining your lead. So, [we] did a lot of good things tonight offensively. I thought we were excellent the entire night.”

8:00pm – The second game of the night pitted upstart Georgetown against No. 2 UConn, who had their loyal, faithful fans occupying 75% of the seats in Madison Square Garden.

UConn took care of business, just as expected, by a 67-51 score. UConn guard Braylon Mullins scored 15 of his 21 points in the first half to set the tone.

11:00pm – Not exactly a breaking news story, but a very noticeable change was quite evident upon exiting Madison Square Garden to “ZERO” ticket scalpers being outside on Seventh Avenue. Like Final Four Saturdays of yesteryear when scalpers sprinted across the arena to buy tickets from the team who lost the first game, the Garden would always be buzzing with “Who’s Selling” shout-outs after each game. In 2026, it’s all about Ticketmaster, StubHub, Seatgeek and the others. UConn fans seem to have the secondary market covered for the Big East final.

Saturday, March 14 (New York City):

Early AM Hours saw a check of The PLAYERS golf championship take top priority as PGA Tour Brunch waits for no man (or woman). If you’re a fan of pro golf, you should highly consider a subscription!

Tuesday’s 70-degrees have given way to 40-degrees and 30 mph wind gusts in Manhattan, ruining plans on CPW and a stroll to Strawberry Fields, an old fave from days of first apartment on West 74th Street.

3:30pm – The BIG EAST has advised us of a 3:30pm opening of the press gate, but your favorite columnist will tuck-in some additional time with The PLAYERS golf on TV until 4:30pm (two full hours before the tip on FOX TV).

The BIG EAST Championship has been televised by Peacock Network, FS-1, FOX, back to FS-1 and finally back to FOX for the title game.

4:30pm – A wind-blown, five minute walk to MSG and right to my Courtside seat.

5:05pm – Sound check for the National Anthem. When I hit St. Pete and the Pearly Gates, I want every minute that I’ve stood for National Anthems back on my side of the ledger. It would buy me another five years of life, easy.

A quick check online: Ticket-buyers are forking over $6,600-to-$4,900 for Courtside, $800 for seats in the Lower Bowl 100-sections, $327 for baseline lower bowl, and about $250 for Upper Level 200s. Get-in price seems to have settled at about $180 for 400s.

6:30pm – “The Ball is Tipped” to a raucous, sold-out crowd at The Garden. As noted, the UConn fans have mastered the use of the secondary ticket department and have 50% of the seats, unlike last season when St. John’s defeated Creighton in the final and Johnnies’ fans controlled 95% of the building. At tip-off time, it seems to be quite a 50-50 crowd and a lot of red. The neutral fans will jump on St. John’s bandwagon if they play well.

UConn fans are quite annoying, especially with the fact they all stand until their team scores the first basket. At this game, St. John’s fans are just choosing to stand and apply a very high level of pressure to UConn. It is working, as UConn is out of sorts.

6:33pm – Nothing compared to Willis Reed, as Zuby is not injured nor did he come out of locker late, but his first easy jumper swished just like the Knicks’ captain’s first two shots in 1970. St. John’s out to 10-2 start at first media timeout.

6:50pm – MSG (Pro St. John’s crowd) playing a major factor in this game. A frustrated UConn coach Danny Hurley took a T to rattle-up his crew. (23-9). Unless UConn can stop St. John’s players from driving right to the rim, it’s going to be interesting. UConn counters, a lot of physical play, shoving, swatting. (no calls which are correct calls).

7:29pm – Halftime shows the scoreboard to be St. John’s 40, UConn 27.

8:13pm – Ole ‘mo changed dramatically and UConn made its run to cut the lead for St John’s to seven (49-42) with 12:34 remaining in the second half. UConn fans woke up and building is rocking from both sides of the street. After time-out, St. John’s countered with a 5-0 run, including a Zuby 26-footer. A possession later, he hit a jump hook to put the lead back to 13 (56-43) with 10:07 remaining.

8:24pm – With 7:36 remaining, momentum swung back to UConn and they cut lead to 10 points. Pitino subbed in big man Ruben Prey to give Zuby a breather. Arena turned quiet for first time since National Anthem.

8:28pm – After an eternally long time out, UConn had possession and gathered four offensive rebounds of their missed shots. Dylan Darling of St. John’s scored down the other end and St. John’s regained the vibe, and fueled the crowd by taking a 61-49 lead. Darling drilled two subsequent free throws and St J lead went back to 62-49. UConn can’t get “over the hump” and they’ve resorted to tossing up 3s.

8:32pm – After struggling all tournament long, St. John’s guard Dylan Darling sinks his “J” to make it 65-49. Oziyah Sellers drills a 19-footer, Bryce Hopkins gets a feed and takes it to the rim to score and the St. John’s lead expands to 20 points, 69-49 with 3:26 remaining. The Garden rocks, louder than at anytime this week.

8:42pm – Zuby bucket – It’s 72-49, now an ass-kicking, as a St. John’s 24-8 run made the difference at a time when UConn was threatening.

8:45pm – St. John’s just walks it up, but turns the ball over. Next whistle, Pitino subs to get Zuby Ejiofor a massive standing ovation, a memory of a lifetime. This is his last game at The Garden as a collegian, but he’ll be back as a pro.

8:47pm – UConn shows a ton of class by inbounding and walking the ball to neutral territory to allow the clock to run out. Game Over. St. John’s 72-52. Boxscore HERE.

8:55pm – The BIG East Trophy presentation takes place on a court filled with fans as MSG security “let it go” and gave peace a chance. St. John’s Dillon Mitchell says, “This is OUR city.” (He left out one of David “Big Papi” Ortiz’ words.

The Empire State Building is now lit with Red Lights.

Embed from Getty Images

9:00pm – Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman and FOX talent Gus Johnson are with St. John’s Coach Rick Pitino at Center Court. Not a St. John’s fan has left The Garden.

Pitino got the Trophy, noting it was back-to-back Regular Season and Post Season titles, and Zuby got MVP. His teammates Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell made the All-Tournament team. And, a great Big East tradition, every member of the team and staff have their name announced as they accept a Big East medal.

9:13pm – St. John’s cuts down the nets at Madison Square garden, a dream of every basketball player in New York.

9:20pm – It’s time to sign off. Please excuse any typos, as this was done LIVE on site.

10:00pm – Your edition of TL’s Sunday Sports Notes is delivered, hot off the presses.

Sunday, March 15 (New York City to Boston)

9:00am – Amtrak home to Boston to be on couch with the annual NCAA Selection Show and a nice fire in fireplace.

PARTING WORDS & MUSIC: This is a song played at The Garden to psych-up the crowd before the Friday night tip-off. It’s the classic “Karn Evil 9” from a circa ‘74 show clip by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, all 18:59 of it, complete with drum solo and their Moog synthesizer – a rare MUST WATCH is attached. Over the past two seasons at The Garden, St, John’s has “Put on a Show That Never Ends.”

While We’re Young (Ideas) is a weekly (every weekend) collection of Sports Notes and News written by Terry Lyons. The posting of each notebook harkens back to the days when you’d walk over to the city news stand on Saturday night around 10:00pm to pick-up a copy of the Sunday papers. Inside, just waiting, was a compilation of interesting sports notes, quotes and quips in a column that always sold a few newspapers. Wire Service reports are utilized within the column.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes – Brought to you by Digital Sports Desk.

-TL-

St. John’s Stakes Claim to Big East Finale

by

NEW YORK  – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Zuby Ejiofor of St. John’s, scored 20 points as top-seeded Johnnies took control in the second half and fended off a late comeback attempt in its 78-68 victory over fourth-seeded Seton Hall on Friday in the Big East tournament semifinals. The 13th-ranked Red Storm (27-6) advanced to Saturday’s title game and will face second-seed UConn.  St John’s advanced to the title game in consecutive seasons for the third time in school history and first time since losing to UConn in 1999 and beating the Huskies in the following season.

Embed from Getty Images

After being swept by the Red Storm in three matchups, the Pirates (21-12) will wait until Sunday’s selection show to find out if they will make the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team for the first time since 2022. Seton Hall entered the game with a NET rating of 53 but fell to 1-6 in Quad One games.

Ejiofor finished 8-of-14 shooting after scoring 21 in Thursday’s 13-point win over Providence. He had a pair of dunks along with four layups for his fourth straight 20-point showing and 11th overall.

Reserve Joson Sanon added 15 and hit three 3-pointers as the Red Storm beat Seton Hall for the sixth straight time. Dillon Mitchell added 13 on 6-of-10 shooting to go along with six rebounds and five assists while Bryce Hopkins chipped in 13 and a team-leading seven rebounds.

The Red Storm shot 52.1% from the field and made 24 of 30 free-throw attempts (80%). St. John’s operated mostly inside the paint as it tied a season low by attempting 12 3-pointers.

Budd Clark led the Pirates with 17 points but shot 6 of 18 with 11 assists and also committed four of Seton Hall’s 12 turnovers. Jacob Dar added 13 points while Mike Williams III and Najai Hines contributed 10 apiece for the Pirates, who trailed by 19 twice in the second half and cut the lead to six before St. John’s secured the win.

The Pirates shot 41.5%, misfired on 15 of 20 3-point tries and were unable to reach the championship game for the first time since 2019.

The Red Storm scored the game’s first eight points, with Ejiofor’s baseline dunk prompting a Seton Hall timeout with 17:06 left. Seton Hall hung around and trailed 38-30 by halftime.

The Red Storm took its second 19-point lead when Ruben Prey hit a free throw with 9:56 left.

Embed from Getty Images

Seton Hall attempted a comeback, ripping off seven straight points to get within 55-43 following a layup by Hines with 7:42 left. The Pirates kept rallying and A.J. Staton-McCray hit an open corner 3 with 4:41 left to slice the deficit to 62-56.

Ejiofor broke free for a layup on the next possession and St. John’s sank five free throws over the next two minutes to extend the lead to 69-56 before finishing it off.

– By Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media

Big East: The Hall vs. St. John’s

by

NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – St. John’s began defense of its first Big East tournament title since 2000 by securing five offensive rebounds. The hustle set the tone for a comfortable win over Providence on Thursday and possibly foreshadowed another physical encounter with Seton Hall. After easily advancing, the top-seeded and 13th-ranked Red Storm will face fourth-seeded Seton Hall in the first semifinal on Friday.

Embed from Getty Images

The Red Storm (26-6) never trailed in an 85-72 victory over the Friars, and they are in the semifinals for the third straight season. St. John’s dominated the glass by a 51-30 margin with an effort that featured in 18 offensive rebounds and 21 more shot attempts than Providence managed.

“We played awesome defense tonight, especially the first half was as good as we played all year,” St. John’s coach Rick Pitino said after a game in which his team scored the first nine points and led by 21 at halftime.

Zuby Ejiofor, the Big East player of the Year and defensive player of the year, finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. He became the first player in the history of the tournament to achieve those numbers in the same game.

St. John’s endured two tough regular-season challenges from the Pirates. The Red Storm rallied from a 15-point deficit in the second half for a 65-60 home win over Seton Hall on Jan. 20, then earned a 72-65 win in the rematch at Newark, N.J., on March 6.

Ejiofor scored 21 points in the most recent meeting after getting held to nine in the first encounter, when the Red Storm shot 35.6%.

“It’s not easy winning on the road against one of the best defensive teams in the country,” Pitino said after last week’s game. “My message to the guys, ‘When you play a team like Seton Hall, your defense has to be every bit as good as their defense in order to win.’”

Seton Hall (21-11) was swept in two games each by St. John’s and second-seeded UConn by a combined 21 points in the regular season. The Pirates are in the semifinals for the first time since 2021 after earning a 72-61 victory over fifth-seeded Creighton on Thursday.

“Obviously, we just played them not too long ago,” Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway said of the Red Storm. “You got to get back, watch a little bit of film and come up with a game plan. They’re a very good team, obviously very well-coached, great players, but our guys played well throughout both games. We’re going to do what Seton Hall do. We’re going to defend, play hard, and what happens from there, happens from there.”

Holloway used 10 players vs. the Bluejays and got a big lift from Jacob Dar. The senior reserve scored all of his season-high 16 points in the second half after entering the game averaging 2.4 points.

Dar scored three points in 19 minutes during the two meetings with St. John’s. His timely contribution on Thursday helped support a steady showing from Adam “Budd” Clark, who collected 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Clark experienced mixed results in the two meetings with the Red Storm. He scored three points and shot 0-for-7 in the first game, then led the Pirates with 15 points in the March 6 game.

“We’re in the semifinals,” Clark said. “That’s what we came here to the Big East for.”

The Pirates relied on Dar to support Clark vs. Creighton because AJ Staton-McCray (12.0 ppg) shot 2-for-9 for eight points after shooting 4-for-17 for 11 points last week against the Red Storm.

– By Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media

 

Big East: Rematch of Friars vs. Johnnies

by

NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Providence has at least one more game under Kim English. And that game could not feature a juicier opponent.

The ninth-seeded Friars rode a historic game from freshman Stefan Vaaks to a Big East tournament win over eighth-seeded Butler on Wednesday, setting up a second-round showdown with top-seeded St. John’s on Thursday afternoon in New York.

Embed from Getty Images

Rick Pitino and 13th-ranked St. John’s (25-6) went 18-2 in the league to take a second straight regular-season title. However, the Red Storm’s first league loss came Jan. 3 at Madison Square Garden against Providence, which rallied from a 13-point hole to prevail 77-71 on Feb. 14.

The return game in Rhode Island got ugly. Duncan Powell fouled ex-Providence forward Bryce Hopkins hard when he went up for a layup, causing a fight and six ejections before St. John’s won 79-69. Powell served a three-game suspension.

“I think (the fight) was all, truthfully, blown out of proportion, to tell you the truth,” English said Wednesday. “Again, it was a hard foul, a couple guys got in each other’s face, there was some pushes. I mean, I think it got completely blown out of proportion.”

He repeatedly declared “there’s no beef” between Providence and St. John’s.

“We have a game in the greatest arena in the world,” English said, “and it’s one of the best coaches in the history of college basketball against the Big East Player of the Year (Zuby Ejiofor). It’s a team, a program we have a lot of respect for. That’s all it is. There’s no beef between us and St. John’s.”

That doesn’t even touch on Pitino putting his thumb on the scale of the Friars’ coaching search from afar.

It was reported last week that Providence will part ways with English after this season, and a rogue report last month indicated that Pitino’s son, Richard Pitino, would consider leaving his post at Xavier for the Providence job. The younger Pitino has since denied interest, and Rick Pitino — who coached the Friars from 1985-87 — also stated his son wouldn’t be leaving Xavier.

Providence looked like a lost cause Wednesday when it fell behind 15-2 to start the game, but Vaaks sparked the comeback and finished with career highs of 28 points and eight 3-pointers. He tied the Big East tournament record for threes in a game, while Ryan Mela added 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists and Jaylin Sellers went for 23, seven and four.

Vaaks scored 16 and 20 in the two games against St. John’s, and Sellers had 15 and 13 before he was ejected from the latter matchup.

“No extra motivation,” Sellers said. “They’re on the list, so we got to take care of business to keep our season alive. Me personally, I learned from the situation, and now it’s just time to be a leader and make sure that my guys are ready to play the next 40 (minutes).”

The focus will have to be on stopping Ejiofor, named the conference’s Player of the Year on Wednesday. He posted 33 points and 15 rebounds in the first meeting with Providence but just 14 and four in the rematch. Ejiofor is averaging 16.0 points (54.6 FG%), 7.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 blocks this season.

Hopkins has added 13.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest in his first season at St. John’s after three injury-ravaged years at Providence. He said at a team autograph signing earlier this week that he had a gut feeling the Red Storm would draw a third matchup with the Friars.

“I don’t know what made me feel like that, but it was just a feeling I had that we were going to match up with them again … so I mean, it is what it is,” Hopkins said.

All this comes amid the backdrop of Madison Square Garden, the Red Storm’s home away from campus that has attracted plenty of Providence supporters as well.

“I got my team together this morning talking about the Big East tournament, how spectacular it is,” Pitino told Hoops HQ on Tuesday. “I said, ‘Guys you’re not going to fully appreciate this until you leave New York, but you guys just played 11 or 12 games as your home court in the World’s Greatest Arena.’”

–Field Level Media

Zuby Ejiofor Dominates Big East Awards

by

NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Zuby Ejiofor further cemented his St. John’s legacy on Wednesday, becoming the league’s first unanimous BIG EAST Player of the Year in more than a decade. Additionally, he was named the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Already tabbed as the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year earning this week, he becomes just the second player in BIG EAST history win those three major awards simultaneously.

Embed from Getty Images

Ejiofor becomes the first BIG EAST Player of the Year to be selected by a unanimous vote of the league’s head coaches since Creighton’s Doug McDermott in 2013-14. That season, McDermott was the consensus National Player of the Year and finished his career as the fifth leading scorer in NCAA Division I history.

A 6-foot-9 forward, Ejiofor, was also named the Associated Press BIG EAST Player of the Year on Tuesday.

Additionally, Ejiofor becomes the second player in conference history to be named BIG EAST Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the same season, joining Connecticut’s Emeka Okafor in 2003-04, who went on to lead the Huskies to their second National Championship that season. Ejiofor will be recognized and receive his awards at a press conference held in the Madison Square Garden Theatre at 1:30 p.m.

The Garland, Texas native becomes the second member of Head Coach Rick Pitino’s first transfer recruiting class prior to the 2023-24 campaign to emerge as the league’s top player after RJ Luis Jr. took home the honor last year. Ejiofor becomes the fourth BIG EAST Player of the Year in St. John’s men’s basketball history joining three-time winner Chris Mullin (1983, ’84, ’85), Walter Berry (1986) and Luis Jr. (2025). St. John’s becomes the first BIG EAST school to have two different players claim sole possession of the honor in back-to-back years since former Villanova and current New York Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart in 2017-18.

After winning the league’s most improved player award a year ago, the senior rose to the occasion leading the Johnnies to back-to-back BIG EAST Regular Season Championships for the first time since 1984-85 & 1985-86. The Red Storm went 18-2 in BIG EAST play, tying a league record for conference victories for the second consecutive season. The veteran becomes first BIG EAST player to win most improved player and then player of the year immediately the following year. He becomes the fourth student-athlete to ever win both in his collegiate career joining Seton Hall’s Myles Powell, Syracuse’s Hakeem Warrick and Brandin Knight of Pittsburgh.

The team captain leads St. John’s in all phases of the game, pacing the Johnnies in scoring (16.0 PPG), rebounding (7.1 RPG), assists (3.5 APG) and blocks (2.0 BPG). Ejiofor is the only high-major player to lead his team and rank top-10 in his conference in all four statistical categories.

A dynamic scorer, Ejiofor ranks sixth in the league averaging 16.0 points per game on 54.6% shooting from the field, which sits second in the BIG EAST. The big man has tallied 25 double-digit scoring performances reaching double-figures in 10 of his last 11 appearances, nine 20-plus point outings and matched a career-high 33 points against Providence on Jan. 3. One of the best there is at getting to the line ranking top-40 in NCAA Division I in free throw attempts (231) and made free throws (163). His 231 tries rank ninth on the program’s all-time record list trailing Chris Mullin’s 235 free throws during the 1984-85 season by four. In the aforementioned contest against the Friars, Ejiofor took 23 shots at the charity stripe, which ranks second most in a single-game in program history.

After leading the nation in offensive rebounding in 2024-25, Ejiofor has once again cleaned up the glass ranking seventh in the league and first on the team logging 7.1 boards per game. On the offensive end, the Kansas transfer grabs 3.32 boards per contest, good for second in the conference and 26th nationally. The prolific rebounder logged double-digit boards in seven outings, highlighted by a career-best 15-carom performance against Providence on Jan. 3.

In an effort to improve his all-around game, Ejiofor has become an elite passer at 6-foot-9. The team leader in assists dishes out 3.5 assists per contest, which checks in at ninth in the league. Ejiofor logged five or more assists in five contests, setting a new personal best on three separate occasions. The final occurrence came during a memorable performance at The World’s Most Famous Arena on Feb. 28 in an 89-57 victory over Villanova. Ejiofor became the fourth known St. John’s player to record triple-double, totaling 16 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists in the winning effort. He is one of 25 players in NCAA Division I to post a triple-double this season and ranks top-five in the BIG EAST with six double-doubles.

Embed from Getty Images

On Monday, the Red Storm’s anchor became the fifth player in program history to be named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year due in large part to his proven rim protecting and stifling ball pressure abilities. One of the nation’s premier shot-blockers, Ejiofor became the first player in NCAA Division I to record eight or more blocks since Marshall’s Obinna Annochilli-Killen in November 2021 racking up a career-high eight swats in wins over Ole Miss (Dec. 6) and Iona (Dec. 13). The post presence ranks fourth in the league logging 2.0 blocks per game and third in total swats with a personal-best 61 on the season. Ejiofor has moved into eighth all-time on the St. John’s career blocks list, logging 147 in three seasons in Queens. Affecting the game in so many ways, Ejiofor ranks third on the team with 1.2 steals per game and added a career-best four swipes at Creighton on Jan. 10. The versatile defender leads a unit that ranks 14th in defensive efficiency according to KenPom.

No stranger to recognition from the league, Ejiofor was a three-time BIG EAST Player of the Week and five-time honor roll recipient this season. On the national level, he has been named to the Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Late-Season Team, Naismith Trophy Defensive Player of the Year Late-Season Team, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Top-10 Watch List, the NCAA March Madness Player of the Week and the USBWA National Player of the Week.

The BIG EAST Scholar Athlete of the Year, Ejiofor boasts a 3.7 cumulative GPA in the sport management program at St. John’s. The Garland, Texas native will graduate in May with his bachelor’s degree.

The big man becomes the fourth player in program history to win the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete award. He is the first Red Storm player in 25 years to garner the accolade, joining Mike Moses (1985), Ron Rowan (1986) and Lavor Postell (2000).

Last year. Ejiofor was tabbed a College Sports Communicators (CSC) All-America Second Team honoree alongside CSC Academic All-America Team Member of the Year RJ Luis Jr. Additionally, he is a Chi Alpha Sigma inductee, qualified for the Dean’s List each of the last two years, is a two-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team member and has landed on the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll list in all five of his completed semesters.

One moment in particular epitomizes Ejiofor’s commitment to his academics. Shortly after the Red Storm won its first outright BIG EAST Regular Season Championship in 40 years with a 71-61 victory over Seton Hall on March 1, 2025, the captain’s mind was quickly focused on his next task. Just a couple hours after the on-court celebration concluded Ejiofor called the team’s academic advisor to seek guidance on an upcoming theology assignment. In today’s ever-shifting college athletics landscape, Ejiofor remains a true student-athlete.

In addition to his academics and on-the-court responsibilities, Ejiofor participates in community service attending the department’s annual Community Mayors Event. He has also spoken on a panel on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and participated in the department’s Solidarity Week. Additionally, he is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

The BIG EAST Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is one of many scholarships presented by the conference in the academic year. Twenty-two student-athletes (one male and one female from each of the BIG EAST’s 11 member institutions) will receive postgraduate scholarships as the winners of their respective institutions’ Scholar-Athlete Award. The winners of the institutional and basketball awards are then eligible for the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, which provides an additional postgraduate scholarship to one male and one female student-athlete.

UConn, St. John’s Prep for Weekend

by

STORRS – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – There are a pair of games in the BIG EAST on Tuesday night,

beginning with Xavier at No. 3/3 UConn at 7 p.m. ET.  An hour later, No. 22/22 St. John’s takes on DePaul in Chicago, tipping off at 8 p.m. ET.  All five mid-week games tonight and Wednesday in the BIG EAST will air on Peacock.  NBC Sports Network will also air Tuesday’s Xavier/UConn matchup.

Tuesday, Feb. 3
Peacock; NBC Sports Network
Xavier at UConn – 7 p.m. ET
John Fanta (pxp); Donny Marshall (analyst)
Peacock
St. John’s at DePaul – 8 p.m. ET
Noah Reed (pxp); Nick Bahe (analyst)
—–
Looking Ahead: Three BIG EAST games are set for Wednesday, beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET as Seton Hall visits Villanova. All three games will air live on Peacock, with the Creighton/Georgetown matchup also appearing on NBC Sports Network.
Wednesday, Feb. 4
Peacock
Seton Hall at Villanova – 6:30 p.m. ET
John Fanta (pxp); Tarik Turner (analyst)
Butler at Providence – 7 p.m. ET
Mike Corey (pxp); Matt McCall (analyst)
Peacock; NBC Sports Network
Creighton at Georgetown – 7:30 p.m. ET
Paul Burmeister (pxp); Brendan Haywood (analyst)

Tip-Off: College Basketball ’25-26

by

LAS VEGAS – Freshman Koa Peat scored 30 points with seven rebounds and five assists in a stirring debut and No. 13 Arizona pulled off a 93-87 upset of No. 3 Florida in the Basketball Hall of Fame Series on Monday.

Embed from Getty Images

Jaden Bradley scored 27 points and Ivan Kharchenkov added 12 points with 10 rebounds as Arizona rallied from a 12-point deficit in the first half to defeat defending champion Florida.

Peat, the centerpiece of the Wildcats’ acclaimed freshman class, went 11 of 18 from the floor in a team-high 36 minutes.

Thomas Haugh scored 27 points for Florida and Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee added 14 in his Gators debut. The Gators shot 36.8% from the floor in the second half to lose their opener after they dropped just four games last season on the way to the third title in program history.

No. 2 Houston 75, Lehigh 57

Kelvin Sampson earned his 800th career win as the Cougars handled the visiting Mountain Hawks.

Over a 36-year career coaching at Montana Tech, Washington State, Oklahoma, Indiana and Houston, Sampson now has compiled a record of 800-354, including last season’s run to the NCAA championship game.

This win, Sampson’s 300th at Houston, featured a familiar script for a Sampson-coached squad, with Houston getting more rebounds (43-30) and shot attempts (61-51) while holding its opponent to worse than 40% shooting from the field.

Emanuel Sharp scored 24 points while making 9 of 10 from the free-throw line, pacing the Cougars in both categories.

No. 4 UConn 79, New Haven 55

Alex Karaban collected 19 points and 10 rebounds and Solo Ball added 18 points to fuel the host Huskies to a season-opening victory over the in-state Chargers.

All-Big East Preseason First Team members Karaban and Ball combined to sink six 3-pointers and all 11 of their free-throw attempts. Jaylin Stewart recorded 11 points and eight rebounds and Georgia transfer Silas Demary. Jr. had 10 points for the Huskies, who spoiled the Division I debut of the Chargers.

UConn played without All-Big East Preseason First Team member Tarris Reed Jr. (hamstring), star freshman Braylon Mullins (ankle) and classmate Jacob Furphy (ankle). New Haven’s Andre Pasha scored 17 points, Najimi George had 14 and Maison Adeleye added 13.

No. 5,  St. John’s 108, Quinnipiac 74

Zuby Ejiofor scored 17 points the Red Storm began their third season under coach Rick Pitino with a wire-to-wire victory over the outmatched Bobcats in New York.

The Red Storm lived up to their billing with a dominant showing ahead of Saturday’s game against No. 15 Alabama at Madison Square Garden. Ejiofor, the preseason Big East Player of the Year, made 7 of 10 shots from the field in 24 minutes.

Dillon Mitchell scored a game-high 18 in his St. John’s debut after transferring from Cincinnati. The guard made 7 of 9 shots and also grabbed seven rebounds to go along with four of the Red Storm’s 12 steals.

Embed from Getty Images

No. 7 Michigan 121, Oakland 78

Morez Johnson scored 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting to help lead the Wolverines past the Golden Grizzlies in an intrastate matchup in Ann Arbor.

Johnson was one of seven players who scored in double figures for the Wolverines. Trey McKenney made 6 of 8 shots from 3-point range and scored 21 points off the bench and Elliot Cadeau dished out 12 assists for Michigan, which set a school record for points in a half with 69 before intermission.

Isaac Garrett scored 20 points and Tuburu Naivalurua added 18 for Oakland.

No. 8 BYU 71, Villanova 66

AJ Dybantsa scored 21 points in his college basketball debut — including 13 in the second half — to lead the Cougars over the Wildcats in the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas.

Dybantsa also grabbed six boards and shot 9 of 18 from the floor. Richie Saunders complemented the freshman phenom with 15 points and seven rebounds, and Robert Wright III notched 14 points.

Bryce Lindsay led Villanova with 22 points and Duke Brennan added 15 rebounds. The Wildcats were leading BYU by two with 6:28 remaining but could only manage two baskets over the last six minutes.

No. 11 Louisville 104, South Carolina State 45

The Cardinals’ second season in the Pat Kelsey era began in remarkable fashion as five players scored in double figures en route to a 59-point rout of the visiting Bulldogs.

Khani Rooths led the way with a career-high 20 points off the bench for the Cardinals, who led 13-0 less than four minutes into the game. The winning margin was Louisville’s largest since an 87-26 win over Savannah State on Nov. 24, 2014.

South Carolina State’s first field goal came with 10:36 left in the first half and made the score 24-4. The Bulldogs shot just 10.3% in the first half.

No. 12 UCLA 80, Eastern Washington 74

Donovan Dent scored 21 points and dished nine assists in his Bruins debut as the hosts held off the Eagles in Los Angeles.

With five scorers in double figures, UCLA led most of the way against its Big Sky Conference opponent. Each time the Bruins appeared ready to blow the game open, however, Eastern Washington cut into the deficit — including pulling to within a single-digit margin in the final minute.

The Eagles had an opportunity to pull within five with 34 seconds remaining after Emmett Marquardt rebounded Skyy Clark’s one-and-one front-end miss. Isaiah Moses then penetrated and found Johnny Radford on the wing, but his 3-point attempt rimmed off and UCLA held on from there

No. 14 Arkansas 109, Southern 77

Trevon Brazile had 25 points and 11 rebounds, heralded freshman Darius Acuff Jr. scored 20 of his 22 points in the first half of his college debut and the Razorbacks blew out the Jaguars in both teams’ season opener in Fayetteville, Ark.

Freshman wing Meleek Thomas added 21 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals off the bench for the Razorbacks, who won their 52nd straight home opener.

Michael Jacobs had 22 points and Fazl Oshodi had 15 points on five 3-pointers for Southern. The Jaguars scored on their first possession for a 2-0 lead but never led again.

No. 15 Alabama 91, North Dakota 62

Labaron Philon scored a career-high 22 points and added eight assists to lead the Crimson Tide to an easy season-opening 91-62 victory over the Fighting Hawks in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Houston Mallette added 15 points and eight rebounds and Amari Allen registered 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals for Alabama, while London Jemison scored 12 points. The Crimson Tide never trailed in the game.

Garrett Anderson had 13 points and three steals for North Dakota, while Eli King added 11 points and four steals. The Fighting Hawks managed to shoot just 5 of 20 from beyond the arc as they lost to Alabama for the second straight season.

No. 16 Iowa State 88, Fairleigh Dickinson 50

Milan Momcilovic scored 29 points on 11-for-16 shooting, including 7-for-10 shooting from beyond the arc, and the Cyclones cruised past the Knights in Ames, Iowa.

Tamin Lipsey added 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and five steals for Iowa State (1-0), which is looking to build upon a 25-win campaign from a season ago. Joshua Jefferson finished with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

David Jevtic scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead Fairleigh Dickinson (0-1). Eric Parnell scored 13 points, and Taeshaud Jackson added nine points and seven rebounds.

No. 17 Illinois 113, Jackson State 55

Ben Humrichous and Tomislav Ivisic scored 21 points to lead six players in double figures as the Illini rolled to a victory over the Tigers in Champaign, Ill.

Playing without starters Mihailo Petrovic (hamstring) and Andrej Stojakovic (knee), the Fighting Illini jumped to a 24-3 lead in the opening seven minutes and sprinted the distance to win their 10th straight opener and 26th in the last 27 years. Freshman David Mirkovic recorded 19 points and 14 rebounds in his college debut — achieving a double-double in the first half — while freshman Keaton Wagler added 18 points and four assists.

Devin Ree paced Jackson State with 19 points before fouling out. Point guard Daeshun Ruffin, the SWAC’s preseason player of the year, was limited to 12 points and one assist.

No. 18 Tennessee 76, Mercer 61

Prized recruit Nate Ament totaled 18 points and nine rebounds as the Volunteers opened the season with a win over the Bears in Knoxville, Tenn.

The 6-foot-10 Ament, a McDonald’s All-American last season, made 6 of 11 shots from the floor, including 1 of 4 from 3-point range. Sophomore J.P. Estrella tallied a career-high 12 points, hitting 6 of 10 from the field, and added five rebounds. Jaylen Carey, a Vanderbilt transfer, had eight points and 10 rebounds in his Tennessee debut.

Baraka Okojie led Mercer with 15 points and had four rebounds. Armani Mighty contributed 14 points and five boards, and Zaire Williams had 10 points and four rebounds.

No. 19 Kansas 94, Green Bay 51

Freshman Darryn Peterson scored 21 points in his college debut and Flory Bidunga led all scorers with 23 points as the Jayhawks cruised past the Phoenix in Lawrence, Kan.

Peterson was 7-for-11 from the field, including 3 of 7 from 3-point range, in 22 minutes for Kansas. With a comfortable margin, Kansas coach Bill Self rested Peterson, who missed the team’s last exhibition game with cramps, for most of the second half.

Bidunga went 9-for-11 from the field and made 5 of 6 free throws. He also led the Jayhawks with six rebounds. Marcus Hall led Green Bay with 17 points. The Phoenix shot just 28.6% (16-for-56) from the field.

No. 20 Auburn 95, Bethune-Cookman 90 (OT)

The Tigers needed overtime to avoid a stunning upset in Steven Pearl’s head-coaching debut before holding off the visiting Wildcats.

With Auburn leading 81-78, Elyjah Freeman fouled Bethune-Cookman’s Arterio Morris on a 3-point attempt with less than a second remaining in regulation. Morris made all three foul shots, part of his 20 points.

But Keyshawn Hall’s free throws with 3:27 left in overtime gave the Tigers an 86-85 lead and they never trailed again. Hall scored a game-high 28 points.

No. 21 Gonzaga 98, Texas Southern 43

Tyon Grant-Foster scored 15 points in his debut with the Bulldogs and Braden Huff added 14 as Gonzaga rolled to a victory over the Tigers in Spokane, Wash.

Graham Ike recorded 13 points and 11 rebounds while reserve Adam Miller also scored 13 points for the Bulldogs, who led by as many as 57.

Duane Posey and Jaylen Wysinger scored eight points apiece to lead the Tigers, who missed 16 of their final 17 field-goal attempts.

No. 22 Michigan State 80, Colgate 69

Jaxon Kohler scored 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds the Spartans beat the Raiders in East Lansing, Mich.

Jeremy Fears Jr. also had a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists, while Coen Carr contributed 12 points for Michigan State, which was 24-for-37 from the free-throw line while Colgate was 4 of 6.

Sam Wright led the Raiders with 17 points and Jalen Cox supplied 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the loss.

No. 24 Wisconsin 96, Campbell 64

John Blackwell scored 31 points and Nick Boyd added 21 as the Badgers pulled away from the Fighting Camels in Madison, Wis.

Campbell, which trailed by 15 early in the second half, rallied within 67-62 on two free throws by Chris Fields Jr. with 8:39 remaining. But Blackwell then scored eight of Wisconsin’s next 11 points to trigger a 15-0 run. Nolan Winter’s dunk put the Badgers in front 82-62 with 3:48 left.

Wisconsin has eight newcomers from the team that went 27-10 last season and lost to BYU 91-89 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Wisconsin, which led the nation in free throw shooting last season with 82.6%, hit 17 of 19 free throws.

No. 25 North Carolina 95, Central Arkansas 54

Caleb Wilson scored 22 points in his collegiate debut, and the Tar Heels received contributions from a variety of sources in a season-opening victory against the Bears in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Kyan Evans, boosted by four 3-pointers, poured in 15 points, Henri Veesaar had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Seth Trimble scored 12 for North Carolina, who won its 21st consecutive season opener. The Tar Heels have also notched victories in 24 straight home openers.

Cole McCormick scored nine points for Central Arkansas, which fell into an early hole and couldn’t shoot its way back into range to make it interesting. The Bears shot 31.3% from the field, making eight of 29 attempts from 3-point range. McCormick fouled out with nearly five minutes left.

–Field Level Media