St. John's Red Storm's Sweet Sixteen Loss: Pitino's Take

On March 28, St. John's Red Storm saw their sweet 16 run in the 2026 NCAA tournament, in

with a tough loss to Duke on Friday night.

Coach Rick Patino pointed to one big flaw, his team nailed shots from beyond the arc, but

couldn't handle Duke's strong drives to the basket.

That inside attack proved too much, even though the Red Storm hung tough throughout.

Patino's in his third season sneering St. John's, and he's turned them into real contenders,

including the tournament two years straight.

This deep run marks their deepest March madness push in three decades, a massive step up

from recent struggles.

Players stepped up big in the defeat, with four and double figures.

Zubi Egeo 4 topped a squad at 17 points, eight boards, and six assists.

Bryce Hopkins added 15 points and seven rebounds, Dylan Mitchell chipped in 13 and 4 while

Rubin Prey dropped 12 off the pine.

The Red Storm wrapped the year of 30 wins and seven losses, dominating the big east at

18 and 2 before claiming the conference tournament.

Crown for an auto bid.

Fans and analysts are buzzing about the growth under Patino's sharp eye.

Looking ahead, with this foundation locked in, St. John's got the pieces for another tournament

charged next season, keeping the momentum rolling, strong.