Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. How long has it been since Madison Square Garden had two winning basketball teams?
In today’s SI:AM:
🔴 Big win for St. John’s
🏈 The Chiefs’ defensive Mahomes
🦅 Eagles’ unsung heroes
The Big East’s new power
Remember last college basketball season when everyone was crowing on Selection Sunday that the St. John’s Red Storm had been unjustly left out of the men’s NCAA tournament? The Johnnies won’t be sweating when the brackets are announced five weeks from now.
The No. 12 Red Storm beat the No. 13 Marquette Golden Eagles at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, 70–64, to strengthen their hold on first place in the Big East. St. John’s is now 20–3 on the season, having already equalled last season’s win total, and 11–1 in conference play. It’s shaping up to be the team’s best season in at least 25 years.
St. John’s was one of college basketball’s premier programs in the 1980s and ’90s but has been largely mediocre over the last two decades. It has made only three NCAA tournaments since 2003, the fewest of any current Big East team during that span other than DePaul.
This year has been a different story, though. The Red Storm’s No. 12 ranking in the AP poll is the team's highest in-season ranking since 1999, when they peaked at No. 8. They have not reached the 20-win benchmark this early in the season since ’86. And Tuesday’s win over Marquette was their biggest victory thus far.
St. John’s was led on Tuesday by guard Kadary Richmond, a transfer from Seton Hall, who had 18 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Richmond is one of several impact transfers who has helped engineer the Red Storm’s turnaround. The former four-star recruit is the most notable of the team’s additions, but coach Rick Pitino’s short rotation also relies heavily on Deivon Smith (a fifth-year senior playing for his fourth college program) and Aaron Smith (who joined St. John’s this season after three years at North Texas). The Johnnies’ two best players are holdovers from last year’s team, but also began their college careers elsewhere. Junior guard RJ Luis is the team’s leading scorer with 17.4 points per game and is second with 6.8 rebounds per game. He played his freshman season at UMass before moving to St. John’s when Pitino was hired. Forward Zuby Ejiofor played his freshman year at Kansas and also joined St. John’s last season. He’s now second on the team with 14.3 points per game and leads the team with 8.3 rebounds per game (third-best in the Big East).
“This is a very unique team. They defy statistical data, almost every single game,” Pitino said after beating Marquette. “Their effort level is so incredibly high. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen something like this, effort level-wise. … I’m so full of gratitude to see players play this hard, it’s exciting.”
The Johnnies’ collective effort is reflected in the stats. They dominated Marquette on the boards on Tuesday, winning the rebounding battle 50–28. In addition to Richmond’s 11, Luis had 11 boards and Ejiofor had 13. St. John’s has pulled down rebounds at an elite level all season, ranking eighth nationally in rebounds per game and 15th in offensive rebound percentage. The team’s effort is also evident in its tenacious defense, which ranks fourth nationally in points allowed per 100 possessions, fourth in blocked shots per game and 20th in steals per game. The Johnnies’ opponents are hitting just 43.1% of their two-point attempts, seventh-lowest in the nation.
St. John’s is far from a perfect team. Its offense is thoroughly mediocre, ranking 131st in the nation in offensive efficiency. It’s horrendous at shooting threes (ranked in the bottom 20 nationally in three-point percentage), struggles from the free-throw line and turns the ball over too much. But the results are inarguable. The Red Storm’s three losses have come by a combined five points—all against elite competition (against Baylor in double overtime, Georgia and at Creighton). They still have a few tough games left on the schedule, starting with a road game against the No. 19 UConn Huskies on Friday, but what they’ve accomplished to this point is already remarkable.
It’s impressive, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise. Pitino is just doing what he’s done at every stop in his career: win. (Well, except with the Boston Celtics.) He did it at Providence, Kentucky, Louisville and even Iona. While his coaching peers are retiring (like Jim Boeheim) or struggling to remain relevant (I’m looking at you, John Calipari), the 72-year-old Pitino is leading a renaissance of a fallen hoops power. Come March, he’ll find himself patrolling the sideline during the NCAA tournament again—and would you be shocked if he made his eighth Final Four?
The best of Sports Illustrated
• Greg Bishop spoke with Steve Spagnuolo about what makes Nick Bolton the Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs’ defense.
• Conor Orr has a great story on the overlooked heroes of the Eagles’ Super Bowl run: the team’s equipment staff.
• Albert Breer made some calls to try to suss out what the Browns might get in return for Myles Garrett, now that the star pass rusher has requested a trade.
• Matt Verderame put together a list of five potential landing spots for Garrett.
• Bob Harig spoke with Pat Perez, who hopes to continue playing professional golf despite being bumped to a broadcasting role with LIV.
• Jon Wertheim reflected on the legacy of two-time major winner Simona Halep, who announced her retirement from tennis on Tuesday.
• The NBA trade deadline continues to be busy, with the Bucks trading Khris Middleton to the Wizards for Kyle Kuzma.
• LeBron James said he first thought the Anthony Davis–Luka Dončić trade “was for sure fake.”
The top five…
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as SI:AM | Rick Pitino Has St. John’s Back on Top.
