No. 1 seed St. John’s defeated No. 2 seed Creighton 82-66 in the Big East Tournament Championship on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York, marking the Red Storm’s first Big East title since 2000.
St. John’s guard RJ Luis Jr. showed exactly why he was named Big East Player of the Year. Despite being held to only two first-half points, Luis finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block, marking his 10th double-double of the season. Luis went 11-of-18 from the field, a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc and 3-of-3 from the free throw line. He was named the Big East Tournament’s most outstanding player.
‘I’m just so blessed to be here. This is an amazing opportunity to play this level of basketball,’ Luis said. ‘We are just a bunch of fighters. We are a bunch of dogs. We are very hungry. We hate losing. We want to win. The goal this year is to win big and that’s what we’re doing.’
With the win, Rick Pitino cements his status as the first coach in NCAA history to win the conference tournament at five different schools (Boston, Kentucky, Louisville, Iona and St. John’s).
Creighton led by as many as eight points in the first half, but 14 team turnovers led to the Bluejays’ demise. St. John’s scored 21 points off Creighton’s turnovers and outscored the Bluejays 48-32 in the paint and 14-3 off fast break points.
Ryan Kalkbrenner led Creighton with 15 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Jamiya Neal and Steven Ashworth both added 13 points. Here’s a recap of the Big East championship game:
St. John’s makes 14 straight field goals; up 72-57 over Creighton
St. John’s has bust the Big East Championship game vs. Creighton wide open. The Red Storm made 14-straight field goals to take a 72-57 lead with 4:14 remaining in the game, marking their largest of the night. St. John’s guard RJ Luis Jr. is up to a game-high 23 points — 21 of those points came in the second half.
Bad call? St. John’s guard RJ Luis Jr. called for questionable tech
Luis knocked down a three to extend St. John’s lead to 52-48, but he was called for a technical foul for his celebration. After knocking down the shot, Luis flashed three fingers in celebration and officials gave him a tech. St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino argued with the officials, clarifying that Luis was displaying three fingers for the three, not using his hands to symbolize a weapon. Creighton’s Steven Ashworth knocked down both free throws to come within two of St. John’s, 52-50.
St. John’s responded with a 6-0 run to take their largest lead of the night with 7:28 remaining in the game, 58-50.
St. John’s takes first lead; up 43-41 over Creighton
St. John’s has its first lead of the game. Red Storm’s Vince Iwuchukwu hit a jumper to give St. John’s a 43-41 lead with 11:55 remaining in the second half. St. John’s guard RJ Luis Jr., the Big East player of the year, is starting to heat up. After being held to only two points in the first half, Luis exploded for nine points to open the second half. He’s shooting 5-of-12 from the field and 1-of-1 from three.
Creighton’s Steven Ashworth answered back with a 3-pointer to snatch the lead back and put the Bluejays up, 44-43. The Red Storm’s Deivon Smith responded with a jumper and teammate Kadary Richmond followed up with a layup to give St. John’s its largest lead of the night with 10:26 remaining in the contest, 47-44.
Halftime: Creighton 28, St. John’s 25
The Big East Championship game has been a low scoring affair so far as Creighton leads St. John’s 26-23 at halftime. The Bluejays jumped to a 10-2 lead, but their scoring slowed down as the half went on. Creighton shot 40% from the field and 4-of-13 from three. Jamiya Neal has a team-high nine points and five rebounds. Ryan Kalkbrenner, the four-time Big East’s Defensive Player of the Year, has four points, five rebounds and two blocks.
Zuby Ejiofor, the Big East’s Most Improved Player, leads St. John’s with seven points, three assists and two rebounds. RJ Luis Jr. has been held to two points in the first half, shooting 1-of-5 from the field. The Red Storm is collectively shooting 33.3% from the field and 3-of-8 from three.
St. John’s goes on 12-5 run
St. John’s trailed by as many as eight points in the first half, but the Red Storm responded and went on a 12-5 run to cut into Creighton’s lead 22-21 with 3:27 remaining in the first half. St. John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor knocked down a three-point shot to bring the Red Storm within on point of the Bluejays. Ejiofor has a team-high seven points. St. John’s run has been spurred by Creighton’s five turnovers, which the Red Storm converted into six points.
Creighton’s Fedor Zugic goes down with apparent injury
Creighton’s Fedor Zugic went down with 11:54 remaining in the first half after giving up a turnover. Zugic was called for a travel after he took an extra step with the shot clock winding down. To make matters worse, Zugic appeared to tweak his ankle on the travel after St. John’s guard Aaron Scott inadvertently clipped Zugic’s ankle as he planted his foot. Zugic immediately grabbed his right ankle in pain, before being subbed out of the game. Creighton leads 17-11.
Creighton jumps to early lead over St. John’s
The Creighton Bluejays have jumped to a 10-2 lead over the St. John’s Red Storm in the Big East Championship game with 15:53 remaining in the first half. Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner got the Bluejays on the board with an emphatic dunk. Kalkbrenner leads all scorers with four points. Creighton also knocked down a pair of threes, one by Jackson McAndrew and one by Jamiya Neal.
When is the Big East Tournament Final between St. John’s and Creighton?
The Big East Tournament Championship game between the Creighton Bluejays and the St. John’s Red Storm is scheduled for Saturday, March 15, and tips off at 6:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
How to watch Creighton and St. John’s in the Big East Championship
The Big East Championship game between the St. John’s Red Storm and the Creighton Bluejays will be televised nationally on Fox, with streaming available on Fubo, which offers a free trial for new subscribers.
Watch the Big East Championship with a Fubo subscription
Creighton vs. St. John’s: Big East Championship odds
The St. John’s Red Storm are favorites to defeat the Creighton Bluejays, according to BetMGM.
Odds as of Saturday, March 15
Spread: St. John’s (-6.5)
Moneyline: St. John’s (-295); Creighton (-230)
Over/under: 141.5
Big East Championship predictions: St. John’s vs. Creighton
Sportsbook Wire: St. John’s 73, Creighton 65
Kevin Erickson writes, ‘The second-seeded Bluejays ousted the 2-time defending champion UConn Huskies in the semifinals Friday, winning 71-62 as 4-point underdogs, with the Under (138.5) cashing. It was a nice bounce-back game after Creighton was nearly shown the door by lowly DePaul in a narrow 85-81 OT win in the quarterfinals Thursday.
‘Creighton has won 4 in a row, going 3-1 against the spread (ATS) during that span. The Over has cashed in 3 straight, although the Under hit against UConn in their last matchup.’
ClutchPoints: Creighton +6.5
Matthew Zemek writes, ‘We lean Creighton, but the real key is that if you like the Jays, make a pregame bet. If you like St John’s, wait until halftime. The game might be very close, or SJU might be a few points behind. You could get St John’s at a smaller line and a better price, either on the spread or moneyline. You could also consider Creighton’s first-half moneyline and set up St John’s moneyline at halftime or early in the second half.’
Big East Tournament Bracket, Results
All times ET
Thursday, March 13 — Quarterfinals
St. John’s 78, Butler 57
Marquette 89, Xavier 87
Creighton 85, DePaul 81 (2OT)
Connecticut 73, Villanova 56
Friday, March 14 — Semifinals
St. John’s 79, Marquette 63
Creighton 71, Connecticut 62
Saturday, March 15 — Championship
Creighton vs. St. John’s | 6:30 p.m.
Big 12 bubble teams heading into Selection Sunday
Myerberg writes, ‘Xavier spent most of this season on the bubble but has moved into solid tournament position with a current seven-game winning streak, even if these wins have come against the bottom of the Big East. An opportunity awaits against Marquette in the quarterfinals. A win there should make the Musketeers feel better about their chances. Villanova is not currently a realistic bubble team due to a 2-7 mark in Quad 1 games and some absolutely dreadful losses, including Columbia and St. Joseph’s in non-conference play. The Wildcats will likely need to win the conference tournament to get into the bracket on Selection Sunday.’
How to watch Selection Sunday: Time, date, TV and streaming
The March Madness bracket reveal will start at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 16. It will be broadcast by CBS.
Date: Sunday, March 16
Time: 6 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Stream: Paramount+, Sling TV, DirecTV Stream and Fubo, which offers a free trial subscription for new users
Watch Selection Sunday with Fubo
Bracketology: NCAA Tournament field projection
March Madness bracket bubble teams:
USA TODAY’S Eddie Timanus, Erick Smith and Paul Myerberg have the following predictions ahead of Selection Sunday:
Last four in
Ohio State, Oklahoma, Xavier, Indiana.
First four out
Boise State, Texas, Colorado State, North Carolina.
NCAA Tournament bids conference breakdown
Multi-bid leagues: SEC (13), Big Ten (10), Big 12 (8), Big East (5), Mountain West (3), ACC (3), West Coast (2).
Selection Sunday: When does men’s March Madness bracket come out?
The full 68-team bracket will be announced on Sunday, March 16, with the selection show beginning at 6 p.m. ET. It will air on CBS with streaming available on Paramount+ and Fubo.
When does the women’s March Madness bracket come out?
The complete women’s March Madness bracket featuring 68 teams will be revealed on Sunday, March 16, with a Selection Sunday broadcast set for 8 p.m. ET. The reveal will broadcast on ESPN.
When does March Madness begin?
The men’s and women’s tournaments will begin with the First Four matchups next week. The men’s side will be played on March 18 and 19 at the University of Dayton.
The women’s First Four will begin a day later, with all four games taking place between March 19 and 20.
March Madness schedule: Bracket dates
Men’s tournament
First Four: March 18 – 19
Round of 64: March 20 – 21
Round of 32: March 22 – 23
Sweet 16: March 27 – 28
Elite Eight: March 29 – 30
Final Four: April 5
NCAA Championship: April 7
Women’s tournament
First Four: March 19 – 20
Round of 64: March 21 – 22
Round of 32: March 23 – 24
Sweet 16: March 28 – 29
Elite Eight: March 30 – 31
Final Four: April 4
NCAA Championship: April 6
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