SAN DIEGO — Rick Pitino and His Team Focused on the Game

Rick Pitino and his squad have chosen to ignore the chatter surrounding their NCAA Tournament seedings and being sent out West for their first game. Instead, they’re focusing on what really matters: playing strong basketball.

St. John’s, the fifth seed, seemed remarkably composed, perhaps fueled by their previous performances leading to the March Madness opener, which took place Friday night, and more recently, at Northern Iowa.

Though the reasons behind their focus remain somewhat unclear, the same team that excelled in the Big East Tournament made its presence felt at Viejas Arena.

With a commanding 79-53 victory over No. 12 seed Northern Iowa, St. John’s secured its place in the second round scheduled for Sunday. The Johnnies, boasting an impressive record of 29-6, are on a winning spree, having taken 20 out of their last 21 games. They will next face either No. 4 Kansas or No. 13 California Baptist.

This marks their first back-to-back tournament opener wins since 1999-2000.

Northern Iowa was thought to be a challenging opponent given their strong defense, ranking amongst the best in the nation in terms of points allowed per game. However, those expectations quickly dissipated.

From the jump, St. John’s set the pace, scoring the first 13 points. They made seven 3-pointers in the first half, creating a significant lead that Northern Iowa could never really threaten.

Zuby Ejiofor had a standout performance with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks, ensuring his St. John’s journey continues at least one more game. Bryce Hopkins added 13 points and six rebounds, while Oziya Sellers contributed 11 points, and Ruben Play came off the bench with eight points and four rebounds.

Trey Campbell from Northern Iowa, the Missouri Valley Conference champion, led his team with 14 points. The match began similarly to the Big East Tournament, with St. John’s quickly pulling ahead. In less than four minutes, they were up 13-0. Northern Iowa’s coach Ben Jacobson quickly used up three timeouts within just over 12 minutes as the deficit grew to 19 points, with St. John’s already hitting more 3-pointers (six) than Northern Iowa had made field goals (four).

The Red Storm utilized their perimeter shooting effectively, achieving 7 of 12 from beyond the arc, including three from Sellers. Although Northern Iowa attempted to regain momentum by narrowing the score to 13 points, St. John’s answered with a 7-0 run, extending the lead to 20 points.

Despite both teams scoring equally in the paint during the first half, it was St. John’s superior shooting from the 3-point line that defined the match, leading them to a 47-28 halftime score—tying the school’s NCAA Tournament record for most points in a first half, which was set back in 1993 against Arkansas.

Emerging after halftime, Northern Iowa initially found some rhythm, scoring eight of the first ten points. However, St. John’s faltered temporarily, missing several shots. Still, at the under-12 media timeout, the lead was comfortably held at 17, paving the way for an expected easy victory.