WASHINGTON — St. John’s finds itself in a familiar position Friday night.
No, not the Sweet 16. That is new — the program’s first trip to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament in 27 years.
The role of the underdog, the other team opposite top-seeded Duke in the East Region semifinal Friday night at Capital One Arena. It’s where the No. 5 Red Storm were in early January, 9-5 and uncertain to even make the NCAA Tournament.
Connecticut was supposed to be the class of the Big East, until the Huskies weren’t, until St. John’s beat them out for both the regular-season and postseason titles, crushing UConn in the tournament title game.
“We kind of have [been an underdog] all year,” Dylan Darling said. “We started 9-5, there was a lot of doubt around this team. We started developing that mentality then, and it’s been growing through March.”
The next step will be the toughest one yet. Duke (34-2) is the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament, has the almost-certain consensus National Player of the Year in Cameron Boozer, and has lost just twice all season.
The Blue Devils are one of three teams in the country with an offense and defense both ranked in the top seven in efficiency, and they are getting healthier. Center Patrick Ngongba II, the key to Duke’s dominant defense, is likely to play more after logging 13 minutes in a second-round rout of No. 9 TCU, and point guard Caleb Foster (fractured right foot) could be available. He is a game-time decision after undergoing surgery March 8.
“We know we’re playing a great team,” coach Rick Pitino said.
No. 5 St. John’s (30-6), though, has earned its spot. The Johnnies have the same record as Duke since Jan. 4: 21-1. The Johnnies overcame a tough draw and questionable seed to get through the first weekend, advancing past fourth-seeded Kansas on Darling’s buzzer-beating layup. It was a euphoric moment for this program that has finally returned to the national stage after over two decades of hibernation prior to Pitino’s arrival three years ago.
“You can’t be happy where you are at this point because if you get content playing a team like Duke, you’re going to get blown out,” Pitino said. “You have to be really hungry and believe. We got to foster that type of belief. If you don’t, usually you go home.”
Asked if St. John’s is still hungry, Pitino joked: “Yes, I haven’t fed them in a week. They’re on water and some fruit juices.”
This remains a motivated group, determined to keep this dream season alive. When Pitino and his staff put together this roster, the goal wasn’t the Sweet 16. There were bigger hopes.
In the preseason, when St. John’s was ranked fifth — the program’s highest ever — Bryce Hopkins talked about getting to the Final Four and winning a national championship. It was a major reason transfers Dillon Mitchell, Oziyah Sellers and Hopkins came to Queens to join star forward Zuby Ejiofor. They wanted to win big in their final year of college.
“Anybody can be beat in March,” Hopkins said. “It’s going to come down to whoever wants it more. Us seniors, we want to go out in a memorable way.”
It’s already been pretty memorable, St. John’s winning outright back-to-back Big East regular-season crowns for the first time in school history. The Johnnies had never won consecutive Big East Tournament titles until this season. Now, they get a crack at one of the titans of the sport, a chance to move one step closer to college basketball’s biggest stage.
“I think we’re a pretty good basketball team. Are we good enough to beat Duke? I have no idea,” Pitino said. “We are very hungry. What team in the Sweet 16 is not hungry? You’re four games away from a national championship — the dream of every athlete and every coach and every fan.”
