March Madness: St. John’s puts away Omaha to reach second round

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – It had felt like eons since the St. John’s basketball program was on this stage.

The Red Storm were playing in their first NCAA Tournament since 2019, their first Round of 64 game since 2015 and their first game as a top-two seed since 2000. They had not won a game in The Big Dance since 2000.

Rick Pitino had delivered landmark moments with Big East Tournament and regular-season titles in his second season as St. John’s coach. Late Thursday night, two years after the news broke that Pitino would be taking over in Queens, his Red Storm emphatically provided another: a first NCAA Tournament win in 25 years.

No. 2 St. John’s did what top seeds are supposed to do, putting away pesky No. 15 seed Omaha, 83-53, in a game that went final early Friday morning in the West Region first round at Amica Mutual Pavilion.

Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis Jr. scored 22 points and hit a career-high five three-pointers. Simeon Wilcher added 13 points, including three treys. Kadary Richmond had 10 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

St. John’s (31-4) hit a season-high tying 14 three-pointers, the most since it drilled 14 in a double-overtime loss to Baylor on Nov. 21.

Omaha (22-13) shot a season-worst 25.7% from the field and 13.9% from three (5-for-36). It had 24 offensive rebounds, the most St. John’s has allowed this season.

JJ White’s 15 points led Omaha, the Summit League Tournament champion making its first NCAA Tournament appearance in its Division I history.

St. John’s won its first NCAA Tournament game since March 16, 2000, when the No. 2 Red Storm beat No. 15 Northern Arizona, 61-56, in the first round. It matched the single-season program record of 31 wins it set in both 1984-85 and 1985-86.

The Red Storm will meet No. 10 Arkansas (21-13), which defeated No. 7 Kansas, 79-72, earlier Thursday, at a to-be-determined time Saturday in Providence. The second-round tilt is between Naismith Hall of Famers and longtime coaching foes in Pitino and Arkansas coach John Calipari, both of whom won national championships at Kentucky.

St. John’s is one win away from its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1999. It has won 10 straight, 20 of 21 and 26 of 28.

St. John’s opened the second half on a 12-2 run, extending its lead to 45-30 with 17:01 left. Richmond’s layup gave the Red Storm their first double-digit lead at 38-28 with 18:51 left, and they never let the Mavericks within 10 points again.

The Red Storm grabbed their first 20-point lead on Luis’ three that made it 56-36 with 13:14 left.

Omaha scored the first seven points and forced Pitino to use an early timeout 3:07 into the game. Richmond finally put the Red Storm on the board with a mid-range jumper with 16:32 left in the first half.

St. John’s evened things at 7 and 10, but it did not take its first lead until 6:22 remained in the first half. Deivon Smith drilled a three to give the Red Storm a 22-20 advantage, and they never trailed again.