St. John’s dream season ends in stunning upset loss to Arkansas

RJ Luis defends Karter Knox of Arkansas. St. John’s junior star sat final five minutes of Red Storm’s NCAA Tournament loss to Arkansas. (Photo by St. John’s Athletics)

By Jason Dimaio (@Jaydimaio)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The magic carpet ride has been grounded.

What has been a dream season for St. John’s ended well before any of its fans would have liked, as the Red Storm’s NCAA Tournament run came to a close Saturday, suffering a 75-66 loss to the 10th-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks and denying the Johnnies a spot in the West regional semifinals.

“I let my team down,” RJ Luis remarked on his game as the Big East Player of the Year and second team All-American shot an uncharacteristic 3-for-17 from the field and sitting for almost the final five minutes of a game that was a two-possession game when he departed with 4:56 remaining in regulation.

“Of course, everybody wants to play when it comes down to it,” Luis added. “Just for me not to be able to be on the court the last couple minutes (and) just help my team win hurt me.”

Head coach Rick Pitino did not give a specific reason as to why Luis never returned to the floor down the stretch, but even with his junior superstar out there, it would have been difficult to match the size and physicality of an Arkansas team that frustrated the Red Storm through various stretches of the afternoon.

Early on, St. John’s (31-5) had a lid on the basket and found itself on the short end of an eight-point deficit to go along with Kadary Richmond yet again finding himself in early foul trouble. The fifth-year senior retreated to the bench at the 13:12 mark of the first half after picking up his second foul, and would not play again the rest of the stanza.

But as they always have, the Johnnies would settle in and find their pace, riding the hot hand of Zuby Ejiofor, who picked up the slack for the struggling Luis and Richmond. Ejiofor would end the half with 15 points, as St. John’s would take a lead as high as  32-28. From this point on, the Razorbacks were fueled by a 7-0 run for the final 2:48 of the period, and the Red Storm would head into the locker room down 35-32 at the midway point.

Out of the half, it was Arkansas who punched the Johnnies in the mouth, extending its lead to as much as 12 points early on. But after a few turnovers and Arkansas backup big man Zvonimir Ivisic fouling out with ten minutes to go, the Johnnies took full advantage. With 6:11 to go, St. John’s was able to cut the lead down to two and the two teams

would trade baskets.

After a nifty move by Ruben Prey, which electrified the crowd in attendance, the score remained a two-point difference of 66-64.

From here, the fun stopped for St. John’s. A Billy Richmond jumper extended the lead for Arkansas, causing Pitino to take a timeout. Out of the break on the ensuing possession, Deivon Smith had a costly turnover leading to an easy transition layup for the Razorbacks, and the deficit was back up to six with under two minutes to go at 70-64. On each trip down the floor, it seemed the Johnnies hoisted up a low-percentage three, but did not see one fall as ensuing free throws would ice the game and send the de facto home crowd home in shock.

The one glaring flaw that fans and national media routinely pointed out all season would end up coming back to hurt on the grand stage, as St. John’s shot just 2-for-19 from beyond the arc.

“If they hit a few shots, they probably beat us,” Arkansas head coach John Calipari quipped on the St. John’s shooting woes.

Much of the story will center around Luis, who was held to his lowest point total since a December 31 loss to Creighton. When asked why Pitino held out the Big East player of the year in crunch time, the coach refused to take shots at one of his players, but hinted his performance was one of the main reasons for the Johnnies’ offensive struggles.

“We haven’t faced a team with that size or athleticism,” he quipped. “But that’s not why we lost. We lost today because we did not pass the ball.”

What’s next for St. John’s as the dust settles is still to be determined. Will Luis come back or opt for the NBA? Will shooting be the focal point of the type of players Pitino brings in the program? That is still to be determined, but the answers might arrive rather quickly, as the transfer portal opens Monday and the Johnnies have a bit more time to focus on it than anticipated.