Overview
- No. 18 St. John’s routed Villanova 89-57 at Madison Square Garden, three days after a 72-40 loss at UConn, with Zuby Ejiofor posting 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for a rare triple-double.
- The Red Storm moved to 23-6 overall and 16-2 in the Big East, a half-game behind UConn, and two wins to close the regular season would secure at least a share of the league title.
- Saturday’s victory featured a season-high 26 assists and marked St. John’s most lopsided win over Villanova in 35 meetings, which also stood as Villanova’s worst defeat since 1997.
- Pitino urged fans to fill Madison Square Garden to honor Ejiofor on Tuesday’s Senior Night against Georgetown before a road finale at Seton Hall later in the week.
- NBA interest in Ejiofor has intensified, with mocks slotting him in the mid-first to early-second round range (examples: No. 34 Tankathon, No. 36 ESPN, No. 41 The Athletic) as scouts cite rebounding, IQ and an improving perimeter shot.