No. 15 St. John’s suffered a historic 72-40 loss to No. 6 UConn on Wednesday in one of the crucial lopsided defeats of Rick Pitino’s teaching profession. The Pink Storm went the ultimate 17:28 with out making a discipline purpose and scored their fewest quantity of factors since 2013. Throughout that stretch, St. John’s missed 24 consecutive discipline objectives and scored simply 14 factors within the second half after trailing 41-26 at halftime.
The Pink Storm shot 6 of 36 (16.7%) on 2-point discipline objectives in opposition to UConn, which was the worst discipline purpose share by a top-15 workforce in a sport over the past 20 seasons. The 40 factors St. John’s scored had been the fewest factors a Pitino-led workforce completed with in his teaching profession. The earlier low was 43 factors, which occurred in 1981 in opposition to UCLA when Pitino was teaching Boston College.
“It is all on me,” Pitino stated. “I am very dissatisfied in our efficiency offensively, particularly. Sharing the ball, shifting the ball. It is all on me. However we are going to prepare for Villanova. We’re nonetheless enjoying for a league championship. Would not matter whether or not you lose by 1 or 40, league championship remains to be at stake. Clearly, now we have to make our corrections and transfer on.”
Pitino didn’t attend the usual post-game press convention, however took questions from a small group of reporters after the loss. That session lasted simply over a minute. Within the remaining query with reporters earlier than strolling away, Pitino was requested to make clear what he meant by the loss being “all on him,” by which he responded that he can be making his corrections and “shifting on.”
Coming into the week, St. John’s was one of many hottest groups in school basketball. The Pink Storm had received 13 consecutive video games whereas being on the high of the Massive East standings with a 15-1 report. The lone loss in convention play (exterior of Wednesday) was in opposition to Windfall at residence.
“I do not know what it’s,” Pitino stated when requested if the UConn crowd performed an element. “All I do know is we did not play good offense. We did issues now we have by no means accomplished. And once more, that is one thing I received to query about myself and I’ll query it as a result of the workforce didn’t do the issues now we have accomplished within the final 13 video games. Give them the credit score. We are going to transfer on and prepare for Villanova.”
St. John’s finishes the common season in opposition to Villanova, Georgetown and Seton Corridor. The Pink Storm can clinch at the least a share of the Massive East common season title for the second consecutive yr below Pitino by successful these remaining three video games.
