Rick Pitino explained the flaw that ended the St. John's Red Storm's tournament run after their loss to the Duke Blue Devils in the Sweet 16 of the 2026 NCAA Tournament on Friday night.
Pitino has been going through his third season as the Red Storm's head coach. He has brought the program back into serious NCAA Tournament contention, making the tournament for back-to-back years.
However, their great run to the Sweet 16 came to a close after losing to Duke. Despite the Red Storm's great perimeter shooting, they couldn't stop the inside attack of Duke's offense. Pitino reflected on that aspect after the game, via Torch Sports.
“We felt that we had to win the three-point line to have any shot at this game. We couldn't stop the bully drive, which is a credit to them. We had our moments in the game — we fought hard,” Pitino said.
How Rick Pitino, St. John's performed against Duke
Rick Pitino knows he has pulled off incredible progress with St. John's. Despite the season-ending loss to Duke, this tournament run marks the best the program has had within the last three decades.
Four players scored in double-digits for St. John's in the loss. Zuby Ejiofor led the team with a stat line of 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists, one steal, and one block. Bryce Hopkins came next with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Dillon Mitchell had 13 points and four rebounds. Meanwhile, Ruben Prey provided 12 points off the bench.
St. John's ends the 2025-26 campaign with a 30-7 overall record, having gone 18-2 in its Big East matchups. They won the Big East Tournament to automatically qualify for March Madness.
With their time in the NCAA Tournament over, the Red Storm can celebrate the progress and history they pulled off this season. With Pitino continuing to lead the way, their potential chances of another deep tournament run remain strong for the long term.
