NEW YORK — Sixty eight (68) NCAA Men’s Basketball programs across the nation saw their names appear on the Selection Sunday March Madness official tournament bracket Sunday night. One team that did not? The St. John’s Red Storm, who finished the season, 20-13 overall, 11-9 in Big East Conference play. March Sadness.
It was a foregone conclusion Thursday afternoon that the St. John’s University Red Storm men’s basketball team had punched their ticket for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, referred by most as simply “March Madness.”
Moments after St. John’s Red Storm BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinals victory over Seton Hall at MSG – Image Credit: Latino Sports
They had just drubbed an incredibly good Seton Hall team by a score of 91-72 and were going to the Big East Tournament semifinals where they would be facing arguably the best college team in the country, the University of Connecticut Huskies, the next evening.
Losing to UConn by a score of 95-90 was certainly no disgrace, and the conventional wisdom was that the Red Storm had done more than enough to clinch an invitation to the Big Dance. Adding to their case was their head coach Rick Pitino insistently calling the Big East, “the toughest college basketball conference.” Few disagreed with that assessment.
Daniss Jenkins, Jordan Dingle, Rick Pitino in St. John’s BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals postgame presser – Image Credit: Latino Sports
The NCAA selection committee examines the strength of competition a team faces when making its final decisions.
The conventional wisdom proved to be erroneous as the Red Storm were left at the Big Dance altar. Life is frequently not fair. St. John’s was victimized by an NCAA rule which states that a team which wins its March conference tournament receives an automatic bid to take part on the big March Madness stage. If there are upsets in those tournaments, such as a mediocre Duquesne team winning the 2024 Atlantic-10 tournament which was held at Barclays Center, that means fewer slots available for deserving teams who did not win a tournament against far stronger competition.
2024 Atlantic-10 Tournament at the Barclays Center – Image Credit: Latino Sports
Arguing that the NCAA should end the automatic bid to a conference tournament winner is akin to debating the Electoral College in presidential elections. It is not going to happen. A compelling aspect of conference tournaments is the idea of an underdog becoming hot at the right time and getting to participate in March Madness.
Another appealing facet of the NCAA Tournament is every collegiate conference has at least one representative playing in it. The Ivy League will never have a team compete for the national college football championship, but every year an Ivy team (this year it is Yale) takes part in March Madness.
Although St. John’s Red Storm season is over, they can take pride in the fact they played well down the stretch which included a decisive win over Creighton University in February. The Creighton Bluejays received the #3 seed in this year’s NCAA Midwest regional.
St. John’s Red Storm fans celebrating after the men’s basketball team secured a 14-point upset victory over No. 15 Creighton at MSG on Sunday afternoon, February 25th – Image Credit: St. John’s Men’s Basketball
Upon learning his team would not be playing the NCAA Tournament, Rick Pitino announced the Red Storm would not be going to the consolation National Invitational Tournament. That is the right decision. Few care about a second-tier competition. Pitino can use the time for recruiting, and the current Red Storm roster is better off going to classes.
BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Tourney remains at MSG through 2032
Big East commissioner Val Ackerman announced Friday the Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament will continue to be held at Madison Square Garden through 2032. MSG officials are certainly happy with that arrangement since every 2024 tournament session was a sellout.
BIG EAST Tournament Final between No. 2 UConn and No. 10 Marquette at Madison Square Garden – Latino Sports
The extension is great news for New York City’s hospitality industry as thousands of out-of-towners come to the Big Apple for both the Big East and Atlantic-10 tournaments to cheer for their teams. They spend significant dollars on hotels, restaurants, shows, and local transportation.
I asked Ackerman if any of the teams in the Big East ever complained about New York being an expensive place. She conceded there has been a little grumbling, but the benefits outweigh the costs. “Many of the schools have fund-raising events with their alumni here,” she said, reminding all New York is the business capital of the world.
Pre-Game Chat with UConn backup guard Andrew Hurley, son of Huskies head coach Dan Hurley
I chatted with senior University of Connecticut backup guard Andrew Hurley, the son of Huskies coach Danny Hurley, on the court of Madison Square Garden before the Big East championship game Saturday evening.
Andrew Hurley and the Huskies in pre-game shoot around during BIG EAST Tournament Championship Saturday at MSG – Image Credit: Latino Sports
I asked him if his school ever played Yale, this year’s Ivy League champions, for Nutmeg State bragging rights. “That has not happened since I have been here. If they could factor SAT scores into a game score, they would kick our butts!” he said with a hearty laugh.
Pepsi Zero and March Madness
March Madness is always a time for office pools, as well as other prize money organized events, for picking the winning teams. The marketing folks at Pepsi Zero are having some fun by flipping the concept on its head. Pepsi Zero is offering a $100,000 prize to a contestant who guesses incorrectly on every game (as in “zero right”) during March Madness. Pepsi Zero has signed “the original AI,” NBA legend Allen Iverson, to be the spokesperson for this offbeat promotion.
Mets announce Silver Sluggers Club
The Mets announced the formation of the Silver Sluggers Club, which will be open to fans over fifty-five. Eligible customers can select discounted tickets for three midweek matinees during the season. In addition, there will be social events run by the Mets’ legendary VP of Alumni Relations, Jay Horwitz. According to the Mets’ website, one of those events will have Jay calling a game of bingo. That, by itself, is worth the price of tickets.
Behind Home Plate at Citi Field – Image Credit: Latino Sports
Although it was not mentioned on the Mets website, I am hoping Jay will be able to get some former Mets players to come out to Citi Field for those matinees and engage in some Q&A with Silver Slugger members.
Remembering and Paying Tribute to Jim McAndrew
Speaking of Mets alumni, I was saddened to learn last week of the passing of pitcher Jim McAndrew, a member of the 1969 Miracle Mets, at the age of eighty. McAndrew gets overlooked because two of his fellow starters were Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman, but he had excellent control, and pitched deep into games. The 2024 Mets could use someone like him.
Get Well Soon, Darryl Strawberry
On a more upbeat note, Darryl Strawberry, the Mets’ all-time leader in home runs, appears to be recovering nicely from a coronary he suffered last week.
JR Smith joins in with Oakley at Vision Expo East trade show at Javits Center
Former Knicks guard JR Smith was a celebrity guest at the Oakley booth during last weekend’s Vision Expo East trade show at Javits Center. Smith spoke about his concerns for children’s vision, and how he and Oakley have partnered to provide eyeglasses for youngsters whose families cannot afford them.
JR Smith, an official partner of Oakley Golf Collection – Image Credit: Oakley
These days, Smith is attending North Carolina A&T University and is a member of their varsity golf team. He spoke about his passion for the sport, and the importance of performance eyewear for both tracking your drives and approach shots, as well as for reading the greens before putting.
You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle.
