In college basketball, three days are long enough to fall hard and then rise just as high. On February 25th, St. John’s was handily defeated by Connecticut in a 32-point laugher. Three days later, Villanova scored the first basket of the game, but then the Johnnies completely took over, and the Wildcats also fell to the recovered Red Storm by 32 points.
During the pregame warmups, a Johnnies fan commented that the team was shooting very well from three-point range and mid-range shots. Would that accuracy
continue when the game began thirty minutes later?
The Garden was electric, and when singer Anna Negron performed the Star Spangled Banner, the applause began during the phrase “the rockets red glare” and reached a crescendo, equal to any cheer, at the anthem’s end, equally appreciated by both Johnnie and Wildcat fans.
First Half
Dylan Darling entered the starting lineup and was joined by Zuby Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins, Dillon Mitchell, and Oziyah Sellers.
Villanova opened the scoring with a layup by Bryce Lindsay. Twenty seconds later, Darling drove into the paint, pulled up, and hit Mitchell, who evened the score with a layup. Two minutes later, Ejiofor drove hard to the basket, stopped, and kicked out to Darling, who hit a triple from the left wing. The Johnnies led 5-2 and never relinquished their advantage.
The Red Storm defense was inspired, quick to pressure Wildcat efforts to drive. Villanova began to toss up off-balanced shots from out deep, often missing. The Johnnies’ pressure led to the Wildcats taking bad shots while the thirty-second clock was running out. With 12:26 to play in the half, St. John’s had one turnover, and Villanova had four. Villanova was in disarray.
With 10:57 to play, Ian Jackson drove and found an opening for a left-alone Prey or a dunk and a 21-11 lead. With ten minutes to play in the half, Jackson hit a three from the right corner. He then stole the ball three separate times, and before the Wildcats knew it, the Johnnies were ahead by 16 at 30-14.
With three minutes to play, Hopkins fed Elijior at the foul line. Ejiofor turned to his right and saw Jackson on a back door cut from the left wing. A perfect pass and a layup by Jackson expanded the lead to 41-17.
That lead increased to twenty-five, 48-23, at the half.
Halftime
The performance in the first half was as high as the loss to Connecticut, three days before, was low. The Johnnies were moving the ball, resulting in open shots under the basket and from the corners. Taking more shots from the corner, where the three-point line was 3.75 inches closer to the basket than shots from the top of the key, was a goal set by Coach Pitino after the Connecticut loss.
Guards were penetrating and often passing out to open teammates, and Ejiofor had five assists in the first half.
Statistically speaking, the Johnnies were converting 57.6% of their shots and holding Villanova to 26 percent. They were outrebounding the Wildcats, 21 to 13.
Second Half
Villanova came out more aggressively in the second half. They stayed away from the long-distance shooting of the first half and were attacking the rim. At the 13:48 mark in the second half, the Johnnies’ lead was cut down to seventeen, 55-38. It would never get closer.
Ian Jackson scored 19 points in 21 minutes of playing time to lead the Johnnies, and Ruben Prey added ten points. Oziyah Sellers contributed fourteen points.
The real leader was Zuby Ejiofor, who, before the game, pledged to lead a bounce-back effort. He finished with his first triple-double: 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Takeaway #1: St. John’s can find a new level with their clever ball movement
The average assist-to-field goals rate across the entire NCAA this year is about 56 percent. The last time the Red Storm had an assist-to-field goal rate above eighty percent was January 11, 2020, vs. DePaul, when the Johnnies assisted on 23 of 25 made baskets (92.0%).
In the game on February 25, 2026, when Connecticut won 72-40, the Huskies had 20 assists on 28 field goals (71%).
Villanova, a well-coached team, was successfully attacked on drive-and-kicks. The Red Storm avoided hoisting off-balanced shots and moved the ball to teammates often as Wildcat defenders rotated to help.
To be successful, ball handlers must have good court vision and awareness of teammates’ tendencies. Hard work and a long season of practices and games appear to be bearing fruit.
Takeaway #2: The guards played their cleanest game of the season
For most of the season, the front-line players (Ejiofor, Hopkins, Mitchell, and Prey) have led the way. Ejiofor had his most impressive game of the year against Villanova, and Prey had an outstanding game. Prey usually is on the floor to give Ejiofor a rest.
Hopkins and Mitchell contributed to the win, but two of the top three scorers were guards. Jackson led with 19 points on 5-for-11 shooting, but Sellers was truly outstanding, hitting 6-of-8 and 2-of-3 from deep. That 81% percent assist-to-field goal rate for the team meant they generated high-percentage and open shots on many of the team’s attempts.
The team had eight turnovers in the game. Only three were committed by the guards. This type of team play is a formula for success.
Coach Pitino stated in the post-game news conference. “You have to have outstanding guards to be successful in the NCAA tournament”.
Takeaway #3: St. John’s feeds off the crowd energy. Fans should keep bringing it.
Coach Pitino bought a new white suit in the fall but announced at a press conference that he wasn’t going to wear it at the “White Out” game against Villanova. A reporter questioned: “How do you think your players will take that?” Pitino replied, “I never thought of it that way”.
Fans filled the garden in white as the coach walked onto the Garden floor in a matching white suit. The Garden was raucous from the moment the game started. The energy of the crowd empowered the players.
We Red Storm fans have a role to play. Let’s provide energy when we attend the upcoming games, at Tuesday’s Senior Night game, the regular season finale in Newark, the Big East tournament, and wherever St. John’s will play their NCAA tournament games. We know we can make a difference.
Outlook
Was the Connecticut loss what the team truly needed – a reality check? If you play one way (like they did against UConn), you will lose. If you rack up 26 assists, you will win even if the opponent is the Connecticut Huskies. The season has two games left before the Big East tournament. Another breakout game by Jackson and continued contributions from Sellers, Darling, and the four-man frontcourt rotation can promise success. Keep the faith.
