The St. John's Red Storm have been one of the premier basketball programs in all of New York. But over the years, the Red Storm haven't had success or many trips to the NCAA Tournament. For St. John's, they opted to hire one of the most prolific coaches in all of college basketball, Rick Pitino to help bring success back to the program. In two years, he's done just that.
On Saturday, St. John's defeated the Creighton Bluejays 82-66 in Madison Square Garden to win the Big East Tournament. This is the fourth time that the Red Storm won a conference tournament. It also caps off a season in which they went 30-4 on the year and are expected to land a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.
So, when was the last time St. John's won the Big East Tournament?
When was the last time St. John's won the Big East Tournament?
Before winning the 2025 Big East Tournament, the last time St. John's won it was in 2000. After going 21-7 in the regular season, St. John's got past the Villanova Wildcats, Miami Hurricanes, and UConn Huskies in the finals to win the Big East Tournament.
Despite winning the Big East Tournament that season, St. John's didn't have a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. After earning a No. 2 seed, the Red Storm got past the No. 15 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 61-56 in the first round. But in the second round, St. John's lost 82-76 to the No. 10 Gonzaga Bulldogs to get eliminated from the Big Dance.
The 2024-25 team is a special won, as they claimed both the Big East regular season and Tournament Championships outright. The last time they were able to do that was in 1986.
The St. John's are looking to win their first national championship in program history. Could 2025 be the year they do so?