Three takeaways from St. John's Big East win over Butler
St. John's coach Rick Pitino directs his players against Butler in the second half at Carnesecca Arena on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
This season’s St. John’s team has a will to win that somehow continues to defy the odds.
The Red Storm on Saturday posted a 70-62 Big East victory over Butler in front of a sellout crowd at Carnesecca Arena that included WNBA star Caitlin Clark, and they did it despite shooting 1-for-21 on three-point attempts and 37% overall.
St. John’s (12-3, 3-1) last won three of its first four conference games in 2010-11. That year, Dwight Hardy, Justin Brownlee and D.J. Kennedy took the Red Storm to a No. 6 seeding in the NCAA Tournament in Steve Lavin’s first season as coach.
Despite the three-point shooting, there were some good signs from Kadary Richmond, whose strong play late in the game helped St. John’s pull out the win.
Here are three takeaways from the victory over Butler:
1. Red Storm’s next game is their biggest of the season to date
St. John’s will play at Xavier in a Big East game on Tuesday night. It’s an opportunity for the Red Storm to pick up a much-needed first Quad I win, as measured by the NET rankings the NCAA Tournament selection committee uses. And if they follow it by beating Villanova on Saturday at the Garden, St. John’s is likely to come out on the other side nationally ranked.
The Musketeers were the No. 3 pick of Big East coaches in a preseason poll and are at full strength with big man Zach Freemantle back from the knee injury that had sidelined him.
The Red Storm are 0-3 in Quad I games, and though the metrics are constantly moving, it’s difficult to say how many of those are out there in the Big East.
2. Simeon Wilcher is going to pay a price for his late-game antics
The outcome of St. John’s win over Butler was clear, and all Wilcher needed to do was run out the clock in the last minute. Instead, he attempted a highlight-reel windmill dunk and missed.
Rick Pitino opened his postgame news conference by saying: “First I’d like to apologize to Thad Matta and the coaching staff and the Butler program . . . I didn’t see what happened at the end, but that’s humiliating and embarrassing to me, St. John’s and everyone affiliated with us. I’m embarrassed with it . . . I wasn’t pleased tonight with the end of the game at all.”
Other St. John’s players who have exhibited selfish behavior this season have been penalized. RJ Luis Jr. paid the price for kicking a ball into the stands after fouling out. Deivon Smith paid for his conduct in the loss to Georgia in the Bahamas. Wilcher seems certain to be the next guy in the doghouse.
“I don’t understand it,” Pitino said. “If he would’ve made it and it went in, he would’ve been nationally ridiculed. So why would someone want to be nationally ridiculed? It lacks common sense to me.”
3. Look past horrid shooting to see defense is improving
St. John’s may have shot poorly, but it overcame a deficit against Butler by using its press to generate more possessions. The Red Storm took 12 more shots than the Bulldogs.
No one is saying that the status quo with shooting is fine. But historically, Pitino’s best teams have defended opponents to the teeth. A great defense may prove the fulcrum to make this a better offensive team.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
