NEW YORK — New York’s team has reclaimed Madison Square Garden. On Sunday afternoon, The World’s Most Famous Arena was not “Storrs South,” as it usually is when Connecticut comes to town. It was, at long last, the one and true home of the Johnnies.
A sellout crowd of 19,812 — filled with far more red than navy blue for the first time in a long time — helped spur No. 10 St. John’s to an emphatic 89-75 victory over UConn. The Red Storm improved to 15-2 in the Big East and moved another step closer to their first outright regular-season conference title in 40 years. “Great Garden crowd,” St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino marveled. “We have three games left. We want this Big East crown badly, not only for the players, but for the fans who came back like I never expected.”
Two years ago when Pitino got hired, it was impossible for those fans to envision this. Over the preceding eight seasons, St. John’s had gone 50-98 in league play and reached the NCAA Tournament just once, losing in the First Four in 2019. Now the Johnnies — not the two-time defending national champions — run the Big East. And if there was any doubt about that before Sunday, it is surely gone now.
The Huskies had won eight straight at MSG heading into the game. Earlier this season, they toppled then-No. 8 Gonzaga, 77-71, on the Garden floor. After that win, junior forward Alex Karaban talked about the impact of what was a very pro-UConn crowd. “The fans always show out when we play at MSG,” he said. “In the Big East Tournament and these types of games, they’re always there for us.”
They were there on Sunday, but they were much harder to find in the sea of red. Chants of “Let’s go Huskies!” sporadically broke out, only to be met with loud boos. UConn fans could certainly be heard during the second half, as their team, which trailed by 18 at halftime, cut the deficit to 62-53 on a three-pointer from Karaban at the 12:36 mark. But that noise was quickly drowned out when St. John’s regained its composure and went on a 14-6 run to seize control.
“I can assure you that we had most of the fans tonight,” Pitino said. “We did not last year, but it was about 70-30 this year. [UConn has] a great fan base. They are like Kentucky. They travel great, they show up. But our fans were there in a big way tonight.”
The tone was set early when UConn head coach Dan Hurley was showered with boos upon being introduced. The Huskies went on to turn the ball over on their opening possession, which was a theme throughout the afternoon (just as it was when the two teams met at Gampel Pavilion a few weeks ago). UConn was rattled by the Red Storm’s defensive pressure, committing 18 turnovers and shooting 39 percent from the field. Karaban led the Huskies in scoring with 17 points, 15 of which came in the second half, but he also had a season-high 6 turnovers.
In his postgame press conference, Hurley said St. John’s has a “championship-level” defense. “Obviously it’s disconcerting to start your possession just surviving to get the ball inbounds versus the pressure,” he added. “But I don’t even think it’s the full-court pressure with them. I just think it’s the positionless switching that they’re able to do on-ball, off-ball, the veer-switching. And then what makes it work is just having all these big wings that are grown men. These guys are physical.”
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The Red Storm have won all season because of their defense, which ranks second in adjusted defensive efficiency on KenPom, and often in spite of their offense. That was not the case on Sunday. This was a complete performance from Pitino’s team, as it shot 46.9 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from three and had 20 assists. “We played our best game of the season,” Pitino said.
All five starters scored in double figures. Senior guard Kadary Richmond and junior forward Zuby Ejiofor, two of the team’s captains, dropped 18 points apiece. According to Pitino, Richmond played through multiple injuries and probably should have sat out. “Every part of his body’s hurting right now,” Pitino said. “Ninety-nine percent of players would not have played tonight. And I don’t say that just to geek him up — they would not have played. He’s really, really hurting.”
Richmond battled through pain and still imposed his will on the game. Junior guard RJ Luis Jr. logged 37 minutes despite missing four days of practice this week with a pulled groin. Senior wing Aaron Scott took a shot to the face and was bleeding from his lip, but he kept playing and finished with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. Senior guard Deivon Smith was everywhere, contributing 12 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds. Ejiofor was a monster in the paint on both ends, pulling down 9 boards, blocking 3 shots and throwing down a few powerful slams.
This game not only made clear which team runs the Big East, but also how hungry that team is to keep making history.
“We’re just taking advantage of each and every moment,” Smith said. “It’s just a super special team. We’re making history almost every game. I hate losing just as much as [Coach Pitino]. Everybody hates losing. We lose and it’s not so good. The next day, we all got to hear Coach.”
Pitino knows as much as anyone just what it means to become a draw at the Garden. He is a New York native who grew up on Long Island and later spent two seasons coaching the Knicks. Now, he has St. John’s sitting atop the conference standings and selling out MSG again. The excitement surrounding the program and sweeping the city is unlike anything we’ve seen in a long, long time. And there are more big games yet to come, including the Big East Tournament in this same hallowed venue.
“I’m really happy for the guys on the team,” Pitino said. “I told them before the game, ‘Guys, you understand you’re playing in a sold-out Madison Square Garden, the World’s Most Famous Arena. A lot of you guys aren’t from New York, but you’re going to have every seat filled and the whole town loves the way you play. You deserve all the credit in the world because you’re making it happen.”
