St. John's University Athletics
Thursday, March 20
Providence, R.I. (Amica Mutual Pavilion)
9:45 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
No. 15 Omaha
No. 2 St. John’s to Open 2025 NCAA Tournament against No. 15 Omaha on Thursday Night
3/18/2025 4:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
March Madness LiveWestwood One SportsListenLive StatsGame Notes (PDF)St. John's NCAA Tournament Guide (PDF)Pregame QuotesVIDEO: Pregame Press Conference
The Red Storm men’s basketball team and Mavericks will tip-off at 9:45 p.m. at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I. on CBS
QUEENS, N.Y. – The 2025 BIG EAST Champions No. 2 St. John's men's basketball team (30-4) will meet the Summit League Champions No. 15 Omaha (22-12) in the 2025 NCAA Tournament First Round on Thursday at 9:45 p.m. in Providence, R.I.
The first-round contest in the West Region set to be played at Amica Mutual Pavilion, home court of the Providence Friars, will air on CBS with Andrew Catalon and Steve Lappas calling the action. Evan Washburn will report from the sideline for the national broadcast. All NCAA Tournament contests can also be seen on March Madness Live.
Westwood One Sports will carry the national radio broadcast with Chris Carrino and Jordan Cornette on the call from the Ocean State. Click here to tune in to any NCAA Tournament broadcast.
St. John's audio broadcast of the game on the LEARFIELD Red Storm Sports Network with John Minko and Brandon Tierney will also be available on a variety of platforms including the Varsity Network App, TuneIn Radio, RedStormSports.com and the St. John's Red Storm mobile app. The radio broadcast can also be heard on SiriusXM radio channel 209 or 202 and via the SiriusXM App.
St. John's will make its 30th appearance in the Big Dance and first since 2019. The Red Storm has made it to nine Sweet 16s, six Elite Eights and two Final Fours in 1952 and 1985 over its NCAA Tournament history. The Johnnies were 1952 NCAA Finalists and fell to their potential 2025 Second Round opponent Kansas, 80-63, on March 26, 1952, in Seattle, Wash. St. John's and Omaha will meet on the hardwood for the first time ever on Thursday.
The Red Storm enters the Big Dance with a 30-4 overall record, reaching the 30-win mark for just the third time in program history and first time since 1985-86. The Johnnies have won nine-straight and hold a 19-1 mark since the turn of the new year. The Johnnies' 19 wins in a 20-game span is the most since the 1984-85 season, when St. John's last made the Final Four.
After winning the outright BIG EAST Regular Season Championship, St. John's orchestrated a dominant run last week at Madison Square Garden to win its first BIG EAST Tournament Championship since 2000. The top-seeded Red Storm defeated Butler, Marquette and Creighton in consecutive days all by 16 points or more to run away with the title. The Johnnies boasted an average margin of victory of 17.7 points during the conference tournament, marking the largest winning margin by a BIG EAST Tournament Champion since Villanova recorded a 19.0 scoring margin during its 2017 Championship run.
Head Coach Rick Pitino will make his 24th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and became the first-ever coach to lead six different schools to the Big Dance (Boston University, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville, Iona, St. John's). The 2025 BIG EAST Coach of Year holds an all-time record of 54-21 (.720) in the NCAA Tournament and has advanced to 13 Sweet 16s, 12 Elite Eights. seven Final Fours, three National Championship games, winning two of them at Kentucky (1996) and Louisville (2013).
RJ Luis Jr., who earned the Dave Gavitt Trophy as the BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player, was joined by teammates Zuby Ejiofor and Kadary Richmond on the All-Tournament Team. It marked the first time in program history that three players were named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team in the same year.
Throughout the season, Luis has garnered a slew of national attention during his breakout junior campaign. He was recently named an Associated Press Second Team All-American, as the Miami native became the first AP All-American at St. John's since Metta Sandiford-Artest, formerly Ron Artest, in 1999. Luis ranks top-five in the BIG EAST in scoring (18.4 PPG) and rebounding 7.2 (RPG).
After being picked second-to-last in the Summit League and starting the year with a 4-9 record, Omaha has made a remarkable turnaround to secure a spot in its first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament. The Mavericks have won 18 of their last 21 games claiming the Summit League Regular Season and Tournament Championships.
Omaha is led by Summit League Player of the Year Marquel Sutton. The senior forward is the only player in the league to rank in the top five in scoring (19.1 PPG), rebounding (8.0 RPG), and field goal percentage (.484).
The winner of Thursday's NCAA Tournament First Round contest between St. John's and Omaha will meet the winner of No. 7 and No. 10 Arkansas on Saturday in Providence.
The first-round contest in the West Region set to be played at Amica Mutual Pavilion, home court of the Providence Friars, will air on CBS with Andrew Catalon and Steve Lappas calling the action. Evan Washburn will report from the sideline for the national broadcast. All NCAA Tournament contests can also be seen on March Madness Live.
Westwood One Sports will carry the national radio broadcast with Chris Carrino and Jordan Cornette on the call from the Ocean State. Click here to tune in to any NCAA Tournament broadcast.
St. John's audio broadcast of the game on the LEARFIELD Red Storm Sports Network with John Minko and Brandon Tierney will also be available on a variety of platforms including the Varsity Network App, TuneIn Radio, RedStormSports.com and the St. John's Red Storm mobile app. The radio broadcast can also be heard on SiriusXM radio channel 209 or 202 and via the SiriusXM App.
St. John's will make its 30th appearance in the Big Dance and first since 2019. The Red Storm has made it to nine Sweet 16s, six Elite Eights and two Final Fours in 1952 and 1985 over its NCAA Tournament history. The Johnnies were 1952 NCAA Finalists and fell to their potential 2025 Second Round opponent Kansas, 80-63, on March 26, 1952, in Seattle, Wash. St. John's and Omaha will meet on the hardwood for the first time ever on Thursday.
The Red Storm enters the Big Dance with a 30-4 overall record, reaching the 30-win mark for just the third time in program history and first time since 1985-86. The Johnnies have won nine-straight and hold a 19-1 mark since the turn of the new year. The Johnnies' 19 wins in a 20-game span is the most since the 1984-85 season, when St. John's last made the Final Four.
After winning the outright BIG EAST Regular Season Championship, St. John's orchestrated a dominant run last week at Madison Square Garden to win its first BIG EAST Tournament Championship since 2000. The top-seeded Red Storm defeated Butler, Marquette and Creighton in consecutive days all by 16 points or more to run away with the title. The Johnnies boasted an average margin of victory of 17.7 points during the conference tournament, marking the largest winning margin by a BIG EAST Tournament Champion since Villanova recorded a 19.0 scoring margin during its 2017 Championship run.
Head Coach Rick Pitino will make his 24th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and became the first-ever coach to lead six different schools to the Big Dance (Boston University, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville, Iona, St. John's). The 2025 BIG EAST Coach of Year holds an all-time record of 54-21 (.720) in the NCAA Tournament and has advanced to 13 Sweet 16s, 12 Elite Eights. seven Final Fours, three National Championship games, winning two of them at Kentucky (1996) and Louisville (2013).
RJ Luis Jr., who earned the Dave Gavitt Trophy as the BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player, was joined by teammates Zuby Ejiofor and Kadary Richmond on the All-Tournament Team. It marked the first time in program history that three players were named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team in the same year.
Throughout the season, Luis has garnered a slew of national attention during his breakout junior campaign. He was recently named an Associated Press Second Team All-American, as the Miami native became the first AP All-American at St. John's since Metta Sandiford-Artest, formerly Ron Artest, in 1999. Luis ranks top-five in the BIG EAST in scoring (18.4 PPG) and rebounding 7.2 (RPG).
After being picked second-to-last in the Summit League and starting the year with a 4-9 record, Omaha has made a remarkable turnaround to secure a spot in its first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament. The Mavericks have won 18 of their last 21 games claiming the Summit League Regular Season and Tournament Championships.
Omaha is led by Summit League Player of the Year Marquel Sutton. The senior forward is the only player in the league to rank in the top five in scoring (19.1 PPG), rebounding (8.0 RPG), and field goal percentage (.484).
The winner of Thursday's NCAA Tournament First Round contest between St. John's and Omaha will meet the winner of No. 7 and No. 10 Arkansas on Saturday in Providence.
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard/Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
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