NEW YORK, NY — In certain scenarios, a loss can still be looked at as a positive. And that’s how many have viewed and reacted to St. John’s BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals loss to the NCAA Men’s Basketball defending champion UConn Huskies, by a final of 95-90, at Madison Square Garden on late Friday afternoon, heading into the evening.
Now, how can a loss be viewed as a positive? You see, the Huskies contain a starting lineup unlike any other, with Alex Karaban, Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton, Stephon Castle, and Cam Spencer — all labeled and considered to be high-up in the NBA Draft picture, once their respective times come to head to the pros. UConn’s second unit gets the job done when the moments call for it, and is one that matches up with most, if not all, of their opponents’ starting lineup. On top of all of that, a head coach leading the Huskies in Dan Hurley, who is as methodical as they come, while getting the most out of his players, as seen on a consistent basis.
Huskies are HYPE! 🔥 @UConnMBB pic.twitter.com/nuu2o7pkxp
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 15, 2024
Just as much so, as the notorious Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame head coach on the opposite end of the court on Friday in the BIG EAST Tourney Semis, the Red Storm’s Rick Pitino. So yes, St. John’s dropped to UConn, but throughout the process, put up a fight for all 40 minutes — scoring 90 points — the first team to do so against the Huskies this season, and actually, the very first team since January 8th, 2022 (90-87 UConn loss to Seton Hall).
“These guys played their tails off — you score 90 points against the defending national champions, I think you’re doing a lot of things right,” said Pitino following the loss alongside Jordan Dingle and Daniss Jenkins, who each laid their imprints on the affair.
Daniss Jenkins, Jordan Dingle, and head coach Rick Pitino in St. John’s BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals postgame press conference – Image Credit: Latino Sports
The Red Storm senior guard duo combined for 46 of the Johnnies’ 90 points — Jenkins with 27 (9-22 FG + 6-6 from the line) and Dingle with 19 (8-12 FG + 3-5 3PT). Though, evening those numbers out, were UConn’s pair of graduate student guards in Newton (25 pts), and Spencer (20 pts). Karaban added 14 points of his own on a 5-10 shooting clip with one free throw make, while Hassan Diarra dropped 10 points, and Jaylin Stewart had eight.
“We’ve got a bunch of NBA players,” Hurley stated about the Huskies group, as they will face the Marquette Golden Eagles tomorrow night in the BIG EAST Tournament Championship.
Tristen Newton, head coach Dan Hurley, Alex Karaban, and Cam Spencer in Huskies BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals postgame press conference – Image Credit: Latino Sports
“We’ve got NBA-level talent that’s willing to screen and share and play for each other on offense. And it’s a unique group of players that have NBA ability, but are humble and about team.”
Are The Johnnies Going Dancing?
From all of those in the industry and as the projections have it currently, St. John’s will see their name appear on Selection Sunday, and have their ticket punched into March Madness. 20 wins on the year is usually the magic number to clinch a NCAA Tournament spot, especially, if you account for the Johnnies’ most-recent six-game winning streak.
Hurley on St. John’s potentially making the Big Dance: “That’s one of the better teams we’ve played, one of the more talented teams, and clearly an NCAA Tournament team.”
If so, this would mark the first time where the Red Storm appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 2019, and just the fifth since 2000.
Daniss Jenkins scored a game-high 27 points in St. John’s loss to UConn in BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals on Friday, March 15th, at MSG. Will the Red Storm appear in March Madness with a record of 20-13? – Image Credit: St. John’s Men’s Basketball.
“We’ll see what’s going to go on,” Pitino said when asked about if he’s looking forward to Selection Sunday.
“You know, we played a really tough schedule this year. Really tough schedule. You know, we haven’t had too many easy games, and we’ve played Marquette twice, tough. We beat Creighton. Should have beat them on the road. With the exception of Seton Hall at Seton Hall, we’ve played really well in the Big East. Big East is a hell of a conference, as you know.”
Jenkins, the Red Storm’s go-to scorer, and kryptonite all season, added: “Tonight was a step forward for St. John’s. But like Coach said, there’s a lot more work to do, and we’re looking forward to the tournament.”
BIG EAST Tournament Championship Saturday: UConn (30-3) vs. Marquette (25-8)
2024 BIG EAST Tournament at Madison Square Garden – Image Credit: Latino Sports
For all the marbles. BIG EAST Tourney Championship Saturday at The Mecca. Two teams ranked in the top ten across the nation, battling for the BIG EAST Tourney title — No. 2 UConn vs. No. 10 Marquette. Dan Hurley vs. Shaka Smart.
All of the action on FOX, with tip-off set to go Saturday night at 6:30PM ET. You don’t want to miss it!
Robert Rizzo is a journalist and editor of Latino Sports – Email: RobertRiz994@gmail.com
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