NEW YORK — RJ Luis Jr. scored all but two of his 29 points after halftime, and sixth-ranked, top-seeded St. John’s made 14 straight shots from the field in the second half to beat second-seeded Creighton 82-66 on Saturday night for its first Big East men’s basketball tournament title in 25 years.
Zuby Ejiofor added 20 points and Kadary Richmond had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the top-seeded Red Storm (30-4), who reached 30 wins for the third time in program history before a roaring hometown crowd at sold-out Madison Square Garden.
They earned the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament for their first trip since 2019, making 72-year-old Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino the first to take six schools to the Big Dance. The others helmed by Pitino were Boston University, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville and Iona.
“For all the St. John’s fans, this is for you!” Pitino proclaimed during a postgame interview on the court, pausing to remove falling confetti from his lips. “St. John’s is New York’s team!”
Pitino, in his second season with the program, also became the first coach to win the Big East tournament at two schools. He guided Louisville to championships in 2009, 2012 and 2013.