How St. John’s magical season came crashing down vs. Arkansas in NCAA Tournament

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — St. John’s remarkable resurgence was thrilling, but its final chapter could not have ended in a more disappointing fashion. Of all the possible ways to bow out, this was among the most frustrating: an abysmal offensive showing, a failure to make crucial defensive stops, and a second-round NCAA Tournament exit at the hands of an Arkansas team that barely made the field.

Beyond the loss itself, a decision was made that will linger over Rick Pitino and St. John’s for years—likely until the program makes another deep tournament run.

Four minutes and 56 seconds. That’s how long the 2025 Big East Player of the Year remained on the bench while St. John’s desperately fought for a spot in the Sweet 16. Star wing RJ Luis, who had just knocked down two free throws to cut Arkansas’ lead to two, was pulled from the game with under five minutes left. Luis—who finished his junior season as the first St. John’s player in nearly three decades to average over 18 points and seven rebounds—was replaced by freshman Rubén Prey, a Portuguese forward averaging just 7.6 minutes per game.

And so, Luis sat. One of only three players in program history to win Big East Player of the Year honors, he had been the team’s leading scorer in 17 of 34 games this season. But in this crucial moment, he could only watch as the season slipped away.

One of the toughest takeaways from St. John’s 75-66 loss was Pitino’s decision that Luis was unplayable in the closing minutes of a do-or-die game. Against an Arkansas squad boasting size, length, and athleticism, Luis endured a brutal 3-for-17 shooting night—an offensive struggle that further hampered a team already limited in that department. His frustration was evident in his body language, his dejected expression revealing the weight of his worst game of the season. Throughout the afternoon, teammates tried to console him, urging him to shake it off.

But he never did, and the game ended in a way few could have foreseen.

Pitino avoided directly addressing the tough reality. When asked about Luis’ benching, he simply stated:

“He played 30 minutes. That’s a long time.”

Pressed further—was Luis fatigued?

“No. He played 30 minutes. I played other people. You know the answer, Roger,” he shot back at Newsday’s Roger Rubin, a reporter who has covered Pitino for two decades. “You’re asking leading questions. So don’t ask me any questions. You already know why he didn’t play.”

Yet, some will still wonder—what if? What if Luis had managed to find his rhythm in those final moments? The entire team struggled offensively, not just him. Perhaps sticking with the player who had carried St. John’s all season would have been the better choice.

“You know, he was 3 for 17,” Pitino said when another reporter revisited the question. “You know he was 0 for 3 from deep. So you’re answering your own question. I’m not going to criticize one of my players.”

It was a fittingly frustrating end to a frustrating day.

“Of course, every player wants to be on the floor in those moments,” Luis admitted from his locker. “Not being able to help my team win in those last minutes… it hurt.”

Credit goes to Arkansas for capitalizing on the opportunity, as Pitino acknowledged multiple times. But the reality is that this loss was just as much about St. John’s own shortcomings.

All season, Pitino’s squad survived with an old-school formula—relentless defense, punishing physicality, and aggressive offensive rebounding. This approach consistently allowed them to generate more shot attempts than their opponents, which in turn led to more points. It was good enough for a 27-4 regular-season record, a Big East regular-season title, and a conference tournament championship.

But their style of play masked deeper issues. St. John’s ranked 340th in the nation in three-point shooting (30.1%) and 342nd in points generated from beyond the arc. In Big East play, they ranked seventh in offensive efficiency—in an 11-team league.

That’s a difficult way to win in modern basketball, and St. John’s managed to get by with a patchwork offense built on mid-range shots and scoring at the rim. But against Arkansas—a team built on length and defensive pressure—their flaws were exposed. It’s hard to score when you can’t see the basket. While many will point to the Johnnies’ 2-for-22 shooting from deep, their struggles weren’t just from beyond the arc—they also went 13-for-47 on two-pointers that weren’t dunks.

That’s how you lose a game in almost impossible fashion. And to be clear, it was nearly impossible—St. John’s grabbed 28 offensive rebounds, committed just six turnovers, and attempted 12 more shots than their opponent… yet still lost.

“I hate to see them go out like this,” Pitino admitted, his expression vacant. “We were driven by a championship mindset, but I’ve felt this disappointment before. It’s not the loss that bothers me—it’s how we played offensively. But you have to live with it.”

And now, the program must live with a lingering question: Was this version of St. John’s ever truly a national title contender?

Despite their dominant season, their offensive stats never suggested as much. The Johnnies failed to record a single win over a KenPom Top 25 opponent. And with the Big East’s underwhelming tournament performance—potentially seeing every team eliminated by Sunday unless UConn upsets Florida—one has to wonder: What does it really mean to have dominated this conference?

The answer depends on perspective.

What’s undeniable, however, is that St. John’s basketball revival extends beyond one disappointing afternoon in Rhode Island. Even with Pitino’s reputation as the ultimate turnaround artist, what he accomplished in Queens this season seemed improbable. Before his arrival, St. John’s had averaged 15.3 wins per year and made just three NCAA Tournament appearances in the past 20 seasons.

On Saturday, the Johnnies fell just short of a program-record 32nd win. They also fell short of their first Sweet 16 since 1999.

That’s a long wait.