St. John’s defied the odds this season by winning the Big East Conference regular-season and tournament titles despite being a below-average shooting team, particularly from three-point range. But the Red Storm’s offensive deficiencies showed up with a vengeance Saturday in a 75-66 loss to Arkansas in an NCAA Tournament West Region second-round game.
No. 2 seed St. John’s shot a dismal 28 percent from the field in Providence, R.I., including 2-of-22 from three-point range, in its worst shooting performance of the season. The Johnnies’ woes did not stop there. RJ Luis, a 6-foot-7 junior guard who was a second-team All-American and the Big East Player of the Year, was a virtual no-show. Luis scored 9 points on 3-of-17 shooting and was benched by coach Rick Pitino for the final 4:56 of the game.
St. John’s was led by 6-foot-9 junior forward Zuby Ejiofor’s 23 points and 12 rebounds. Deivon Smith, a 6-foot senior guard, added 13 points and six rebounds.
No. 10 seed Arkansas blew a lead against Kansas, then regained it late in a first-round win. The Razorbacks then upset St. John’s in the second round. Now John Calipari and the Razorbacks are headed to the Sweet 16, where they will face third-seeded Texas Tech on Thursday night. Arkansas was led by 6-foot-5 freshman forward Billy Richmond’s 16 points and 6-foot-6 freshman Karter Knox’s 15 points. But the Razorbacks’ length, athleticism and defensive grit ruled the day.
Problems started early for St. John’s. Both Kadary Richmond and Simeon Wilcher picked up two early fouls and sat for much of the first half. The Red Storm shot just 24% in the opening half and Arkansas led 35-32 at intermission.
After Arkansas increased its lead to 55-42 with 11:32 left, St. John’s fought back and cut it to 62-60 with 6:11 remaining. But from there, St. John’s scored only six points on 10 offensive possessions, missing 8 of 10 shots, including five from three-point range. Richmond played just 16 minutes after fouling out with 6:28 remaining; he finished with five points.
Arkansas outscored St. John’s 46-38 in the paint, only the sixth time all season the Johnnies were beaten in that category.
Following the loss, Pitino was short with the media when discussing Luis’ benching: “He played 30 minutes; that’s a long time.” (Luis averages 31.9 minutes per game.) When pressed further, Pitino pointed to what was apparent to all who watched the game. “You know he was 3-for-17. You know he was 0-for-3 (from three-point range), so you’re answering your own (question),” he said. “I’m not going to knock one of my players.”
This was a special season for Pitino and St. John’s. The fanbase was reinvigorated, Madison Square Garden rocked for every home game played there and the program reached heights last seen during the glory years of the Big East. But it still ended in the second round.
“We haven’t faced that type of length and athleticism this year,” Pitino said. “That’s not the reason we lost the game. We lost the game because we did not move the basketball enough and that led us to shooting a very low percentage. We’re a team that we have to get a high number of assists to win and we didn’t .”
The Red Storm had five assists and six turnovers.
“I’ve had a lot of tough losses and I’ve had a lot of great victories in the NCAA (Tournament), and it always ends with you hating this moment,” Pitino said.
This season suddenly has become one of redemption for Calipari. His Kentucky team was upset in the first round of last season’s NCAA Tournament by 14th-seeded Oakland, and when Arkansas approached him with open arms and deep pockets, a lot of UK fans were relieved. Calipari took his recruits and charisma to Fayetteville and expectations were high. But the transition was not as smooth as Calipari and Arkansas hoped.
The Razorbacks were ranked 16th in the AP preseason poll, but were unspectacular in the nonconference part of their schedule, then opened 0-5 in the SEC. There were those who wondered about Calipari’s ability to coach in this era, all while Kentucky was thriving under new coach Mark Pope.
Arkansas was 1-6 in the SEC when it traveled to Rupp Arena on Feb. 1 to face the then-12th ranked Wildcats in a game few gave Arkansas any chance to win. But the Razorbacks’ 89-79 upset was the turning point of their season. Despite injuries to key players, Calipari was able to galvanize his team first to reach SEC respectability, then the NCAA Tournament. “Everyone put us in a coffin after 0-5. … They just forgot the nails,” he said after the Razorbacks’ victory over Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament.
“I was with these guys. We had guys in a dark place where they would look (down), but now they know, ‘I can be in a dark place like that and overcome it,’” Calipari said after Saturday’s game about his players, but maybe also himself.
Now, Calipari and Arkansas are in the Sweet Sixteen. It’s funny how two wins (and one loss) in the NCAA Tournament can change everything.
“To be where we are, still playing and still fighting and having fun — I’m enjoying it,” Calipari said. “Like I said, I’m not going to let anything faze me in this. Here we are; let’s have fun.”
