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It all comes down to this. The emotions of Championship Week are unrivaled. Who doesn’t love the blood, sweat and buzzer beaters? Attempting to nail who will represent its league in the Big Dance, the Big Noise gives his conference tournament leans. Merry March Madness!
Say hello to my little friend!
St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino, though older, is a dead ringer for Tony Montana in “Scarface” — minus the snowy nose.
Always dressed in the finest Italian suit, the smooth operator has led his Johnnies back to relevancy. They won the Big East regular season outright for the first time in 40 years — or when a dozen eggs on average cost $1.01.
Yeah, it’s been hardly a New York minute.
As the top seed of the Big East Tournament, the Kings of Queens are rightfully the favorites to make backers money at Madison Square Garden.
The pick — St. John’s to win Big East Tournament (+140, BetMGM)
Frankly, it should be closer to -140.
A faster version of the Houston Cougars, Chris Mullin U entombs teams by a thousand paper cuts. At No. 302 in effective field goal percentage offense since February 1, the Red Storm are not exactly efficient scoring the rock. However, they are tireless on the offensive glass (38.9 OR%), generating many demoralizing putbacks and remaining in attack mode until submission.
[ Bracket Big Board: Brad Evans' latest NCAA Tournament projections ]
On the defensive end, St. John’s applies the stranglehold. It’s the primary calling card.
When setting up in the half court or swatting shots in transition, opponent denials are frequent. In their last 10 games, Zuby Ejiofor and partners have surrendered the seventh-fewest points per possession in Division I (0.925), yielding 50.8% shooting on 2-pointers and only 31.6% on 3s.
The Red Storm also have coaxed a turnover on over 21% of opponent possessions. Again, they contest everything.
At an astounding 22-2 overall since late November, St. John’s is thriving under Pitino. Given the Red Storm’s New York street toughness, picking them at plus money is practically mandatory.
The bracket is set. 🔒 pic.twitter.com/bYsMRdUzAm
— BIG EAST MBB (@BIGEASTMBB) March 9, 2025