The Johnnies’ March Madness run is done in shocking fashion, with a 75-66 loss to the No. 10 seed Arkansas Razorbacks.
This was easily the most anticipated matchup of the first weekend — a fated duel between John Calipari and Rick Pitino, longtime rivals and two of college hoops’ winningest coaches. It’s safe to same the game delivered, despite the refs’ best efforts to muck up an already filthy, physical game of basketball. Both St. John’s and Arkansas play extremely hard, so of course this game was going to carry the same vibe as a wrestling match.
The Razorbacks’ second-half rebirth under Calipari this season has been something to behold. Arkansas was dead in the water five games into SEC play, while Boogie Fland and Adou Thiero — arguably their best players — both missed the stretch run of the Razorbacks’ campaign. And yet, here they sit, in the Sweet 16. Cal also keeps running up the score as the active leader in NCAA Tournament wins, notching W’s over his tightest competition in Bill Self and Rick Pitino.
For Pitino and the Johnnies, this is a severe disappointment. It was a storybook season for the Big East champs, who play a truly special brand of defense. In the end, however, it was their offense that sunk the ship. And after the game, Pitino was not looking to answer hard questions.
Rick Pitino refuses to explain RJ Luis Jr. benching after St. John’s loss to Arkansas
RJ Luis Jr., the 6-foot-5 junior wing, has been more or less St. John’s best player all season. He has certainly been their most dependable source of offense, creating on herky-jerky drives, mismatch post-ups, or on backdoor cuts and spot-up 3s. The Johnnies unsurprisingly went to Luis early and often on Saturday, but the shots just weren’t falling. He finished the game with nine points, seven rebounds, and zero assists on 3-of-17 shooting, missing all three of his 3-point attempts.
He spent 30 minutes on the floor, but St. John’s went in another direction down the stretch. Luis’ play certainly earned a trip to the bench, but still, removing your best player from the game when offense has been difficult to come by will always generate controversy. Even if you agree with Pitino’s decision, one can hardly blame reporters for asking about it postgame. Pitino, however, was not interested in engaging.
“You already know the answers,” he said bitingly. “You’re asking leading questions. You already know it. Don’t ask leading questions. You already know why he didn’t play.”
Rick Pitino was asked why RJ Luis Jr. was on the bench down the stretch of the game:
“You already know the answers. You’re asking leading questions. You already know it. Don’t ask leading questions. You already know why he didn’t play.” pic.twitter.com/iqimZAJ1Yc
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 22, 2025
Look, Pitino’s not wrong. We do know why Luis was benched. It’s not some grand mystery. Not only were shots not falling, but Luis was forcing the issue in a vain attempt to establish a rhythm, which was sinking the offense around him. That said, many will argue that Pitino should’ve pulled Luis aside and coached him into a more functional approach, rather than axing his star from the lineup altogether.
This was an all-around bad optics day for Pitino, who shied away from the Calipari rivalry pregame and was seen in a spat with the refs (and Cal) mid-game. He’s one of the most accomplished coaches in the sport, but doubts and skepticism will naturally arise around this St. John’s program after such an early exit in the No. 2 seed.
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