By Ryan Schwach
Queens’ St. John’s University is heading back to the NCAA Tournament as a 5-seed following a repeat as BIG EAST champions.
The St. John’s Red Storm Men’s Basketball team will return to the big dance this week following another historic season and their second straight BIG EAST victory.
Their first round matchup will come on Thursday, March 20 in San Diego against 12-seed Northern Iowa University.
The Queens squad – led by Johnnies star Zuby Ejiofor and hall of fame coach Rick Pitino – finished their regular season 28-6 overall, and 18-2 in conference play.
“All year, we had a target on our backs,” Ejiofor said after the BIG EAST win. “We had to battle through adversity all season. Nobody believed we could get to this moment but us.”
Ejiofor wasn’t the only bright spot on the Red Storm’s roster.
Bryce Hopkins, Dillion Mitchell and Oziyah Sellers all stood out during the BIG EAST tournament and the regular season.
They continued their winning ways from the regular season through the BIG EAST tournament last week, steamrolling over Providence, Seton Hall and finally rival UConn.
The Red Storm defeated UConn on Saturday by 20 points, 72-52, to take the BIG EAST trophy back to Queens for the second straight year.
Ejiofor, who also won BIG EAST player of the year and has cemented himself as one of the best to ever wear a St. John’s uniform, dominated with 18 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks in the championship game.
“He’s one of the best players in college I’ve ever coached against,” UConn head coach Dan Hurley said after the championship.
On Monday, St. John’s announced it would honor its senior star alongside other former Queens greats next year.
The BIG EAST win and ticket to the NCAA tournament is another notch in the belt for Pitino, who took over at St. John’s in 2023 and has revolutionized the program.
“I don’t know what was better, the defense, the offense or the attitude,” Pitino said after the UConn victory. “I’m real proud.”
Pitino and his players have big expectations going into the tournament this year.
His squad is the 5-seed in the East division, which includes powerhouse schools like Kansas, Duke and UConn – who is the 2-seed.
“The East is loaded, certainly, but look, we’re excited to be part of this,” Pitino told reporters. “Right now, we’re playing good basketball, and that’s the most important thing.”
The Johnnies hope to spend a little longer at the dance this year than they did in 2025, a trip that was cut short after a second round defeat to Arkansas.
St. John’s was the 2-seed last year.
For now, the Queens school is celebrating the win and looking forward to playing some basketball on the big stage.
“The guys are really excited,” said Ejiofor. “Everything in the past now, you just kind of gotta move on, get your head where your feet are, and just stay together. I think that’s the biggest thing. And like I said, nobody wants to lose in the first round. You want to keep going and keep playing basketball together like what we’ve been doing.”