Just one month ago, the St. John’s basketball team didn’t deserve to be in the coversation for an NCAA Tournament bid.
That’s when Rick Pitino, the legendary coach in his first season with the Red Storm, publicly called out his team following a Feb. 18 loss to Seton Hall.
St. John’s had lost eight of their last 10 games and was sitting at 14-12 when Pitino told the media his players weren’t athletic enough to get the job done and that this season was the most unenjoyable experience of his long career.
The comments seemed to ignite the Red Storm, who turned around their season by winning their final five regular-season games. They then knocked off Seton Hall, 91-72, in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday.
St. John’s hung around with top-seeded Connecticut in the semifinals on Friday before falling to the defending national champions, 95-90. It was the Red Storm’s first trip to the Big East semifinals since 2000.
What is St. John’s record?
The Johnnies enter Selection Sunday with a 20-13 record (11-9 in Big East), and they will find out their fate at 6 p.m. when the field of 68 is announced on CBS.
Have they done enough to receive an invite? They believe so, but we’ll find out.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: St. John’s March Madness bracket predictions for 2024 NCAA Tournament
