Rick Pitino and the St. John's Red Storm finished the 2025-26 college basketball regular season with a 28-6 overall record and 18-2 in conference play, taking home the Big East title and earning the No. 5 seed in the East region of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. And St. John's extended their winning streak to seven in the first round, taking down No. 12 seed Northern Iowa Panthers on Friday.
Zuby Ejiofor led the way for the Red Storm in the opening round. The Big East Player of the Year tallied a team-high 14 points on 4-of-10 shooting, 11 rebounds and two assists, while making an impact on the defensive end with four blocks. Senior forward Bryce Hopkins added 13 points and six rebounds for St. John's, while junior guard Dylan Darling posted six points, five rebounds and five assists.
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Now, Pitino and St. John's will be heading to the second round, where they will face the winner of No. 4 seed Kansas Jayhawks and No. 13 seed CA Baptist Lancers. The winner will earn a trip to the Sweet 16, where they will face either No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils or No. 9 seed TCU Horned Frogs.
Just over seven minutes into the first-round matchup between St. John’s and Northern Iowa, Pitino’s team got off to a hot start, building a 20-3 lead over the Panthers. But the former Louisville head coach still showed his fiery edge, getting in his players’ faces and letting them have it despite maintaining full control of the game.
"Rick Pitino letting his team have it whille up 20-3 🗣️," SportsCenter wrote on X.
The college basketball world took notice of Pitino's behavior toward his players with the 17-point lead, taking to social media to leave their thoughts.
"Theatrics or not, Rick paid his dues and is one of the most relaxed people off the court ever," one fan said.
"why is Rick angry?" asked another.
"I love that old school mentality. This is why he's successful," wrote a third.
"Bro is up 17 in the first half and yelling like they're down by 20 in the championship game! Pitino gonna Pitino!" commented a fourth.
"pitino is never satsified," claimed a fifth.
"Up 17 and still roasting them? That’s coaching," added a sixth.
Pitino and St. John's will be back in action against either Kansas or CA Baptist on Sunday.
