Saturday, March 15
New York, N.Y.
5:30 PM
Creighton University
24-10,15-5Big East
66
vs
82
St. John's (BIG EAST Tournament Final)
30-4,18-2Big East
1
2
F
Creighton
28
38
66
St. John's (NY)
25
57
82
Ryan Kalkbrenner
Tourney Run Ends in Title Game to No. 6 St. John's
3/15/2025 7:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Sixth-ranked St. John's made 14 straight shots in the second half and won its first BIG EAST Tournament title since 2000 with an 82-66 win over Creighton on Saturday night in front of a sold out crowd of 19,812 at Madison Square Garden.
Creighton started the game with a 10-2 run to force a quick timeout from BIG EAST Coach of the Year Rick Pitino, getting two baskets by Ryan Kalkbrenner, and three-pointers from Jackson McAndrew and Jamiya Neal. Creighton made seven straight shots at one point before a 1-for-11 drought that saw the Red Storm climb within one at 22-21. The Bluejays never trailed in the opening 20 minutes and took a 28-25 lead into the break, paced by nine and five rebounds by Neal. Zuby Ejiofor contributed seven points and three assists to pace the Johnnies.
RJ Luis Jr. scored nine of the Johnnies' first 13 points out of the break and hit a corner three-pointer to create the game's first tie at 38-all with 14:26 left, and the Red Storm took their first lead two minutes later at 43-41 on a hoop by Vince Iwuchukwu. Just as it looked like the Red Storm was pulling away with a 49-44 lead, the Bluejays answered with a long two by Isaac Traudt to beat the shot clock and a dunk in transition by Neal cut the Red Storm's lead to 49-48 with 9:05 remaining. CU never got any closer.
Three straight lay-ups in a span of 46 seconds moved the Johnnies lead to 58-50 with 7:28 to go. That was part of a seven-minute stretch in which the Red Storm made 14 straight shots, eventually moving in front 70-55. With a raucous crowd supporting them, the Red Storm's margin remained in double-figures the rest of the way.
CU had four starters in double-figures, paced by 15 points from Kalkbrenner, while McAndrew added in 14 points and six rebounds. Jasen Green had three steals. CU shot 43.3 perfect from the field and 23.1 percent from three-point land, while shooting 50 percent (8-of-16) from the free throw line.
Luis Jr. had 27 of his 29 points in the second half to lead St. John's and added 10 rebounds. Fellow All-BIG EAST pick Zuby Ejiofor had 20 points, while Kadary Richmond had 12 points and 12 rebounds . The Johnnies shot 52.3 percent for the game and after entering the day 341st nationally in three-point percentage (.300), made 50.0 percent on Saturday.
Creighton will await its NCAA Tournament destination on Sunday night at 5 p.m. when it hosts a public viewing party inside D.J. Sokol Arena to watch the Selection Show on CBS. Doors will open at 4 p.m.
NOTES: Prior to today, the only current league team Creighton had never finished a game against in the BIG EAST Tournament was St. John's. A scheduled 2020 quarterfinal round match-up was halted at halftime due to the COVID-19 pandemic ... Today was just the second time in the last 20 years that the top two seeds met in the BIG EAST Tournament final ... Ryan Kalkbrenner surpassed 2,400 career points early in the first half ...Ryan Kalkbrenner blocked a shot for the 19th straight game and scored in double-figures for the 26th time in a row ... ... Ryan Kalkbrenner passed Bob Harstad for second place on Creighton's all-time rebound chart ... Creighton's 28 points were its most ever in the first half of a BIG EAST Tournament final ... Jackson McAndrew now owns 62 three-pointers this season, trailing only Ethan Wragge (68), Ryan Sears (63) and Kyle Korver (63) among freshmen in program history ... Ryan Kalkbrenner became the 12th player in history to be named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team three times, and first Creighton student-athlete to do so... St. John's won its first BIG EAST Tournament since 2000 ... After going 12-1 in Missouri Valley Conference Tournament finals from 1977-2013, Creighton fell to 0-5 in BIG EAST Tournament title games since 2014 ... This is the first time the No. 1 seed has won the BIG EAST Tournament in three straight years ... Creighton fell to 61-175 all-time against Top 25 teams ... Creighton fell to 20-3 when leading at halftime ... Jackson McAndrew's 14 points were the most by a Creighton freshman in a conference tournament final since Dane Watts had 14 in the 2005 MVC Tournament final vs. Missouri State.
2025 BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP ALL-TOURNAMENT
The winner of the Dave Gavitt Trophy as the Most Outstanding Player of the BIG EAST Tournament.
RJ LUIS JR., ST. JOHN'S
The 2025 BIG EAST All-Tournament Team
ZUBY EJIOFOR, ST. JOHN'S
KADARY RICHMOND, ST. JOHN'S
RYAN KALKBRENNER, CREIGHTON
KAM JONES, MARQUETTE
RYAN CONWELL, XAVIER
St. John's 82, Creighton 66
THE MODERATOR: For Creighton Coach Greg McDermott, and we have Jackson McAndrew and Ryan Kalkbrenner.
GREG McDERMOTT: Well, congrats to St. John's. They've had a remarkable year. Dominated our league and pretty much saved their best for this conference tournament. They just wear into you over time.
I would have guessed at halftime that 66 points might be enough to win the game, the way both teams were defending, but they made some shots the second half and then we made some mistakes, and we made those mistakes.
We went under RJ a couple of times by mistake. We blew a switch on an out of bounce play. That was nine points. Sometimes you make mistakes, and they don't cost you because they miss the shots, but tonight every time we made a mistake, they made us pay.
We lost to a really good basketball team. I think they're going to represent the Big East in a positive way next week.
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. You guys made the run to get here, fended off DePaul on Thursday, and beat UConn last night. How tough is it to get back to this point and have the second half unfold the way it did?
GREG McDERMOTT: I mean, it's hard to get to this game, let's be honest. We've been fortunate to be here quite a few times. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to finish the job.
But, like I told the guys, obviously we're disappointed in tonight, but we also need to be proud of the fact we essentially won a road game last night against a really good team, and then you have to hook it up and play another road game tonight against a really good team in an electric environment.
I'm proud of what these guys have accomplished to this point, and the season is not over. You know, we're going to celebrate tomorrow, and then we're going to flip the switch and turn it into preparation mode.
Q. Ryan, what stings the most when you think about just the last ten minutes and kind of how on fire they were and how kind of alive the building came?
RYAN KALKBRENNER: You know, it's a really tough environment to play in. They got hot, and like Mac said, our focus in the second half wasn't as good on defense, so it was harder for us to kind of keep them from getting what they wanted. Obviously, they scored 57 points.
Yeah, it should never happen to us. We're a much better defensive team than that. So just kind of knowing that we had a better defensive effort to give in the second half.
Q. Coach, you played a pretty aggressive drop coverage with Ryan to start out the game, and it worked in the first half. What kind of led to that decision and then kind of what did St. John's do to counter that successfully?
GREG McDERMOTT: That's our base defense. We tried to stay on top of Kadary and RJ a little bit and make them cut towards the baseline instead of towards the top of the floor. We did a pretty good job of that the first half.
The second half, like I said, we made some mistakes on some screens, closed out short on RJ a couple of times, and a couple of those threes were killers. You know, then I thought Zuby made some tough plays around the basket. He had a couple tough finishes over Ryan that not many people do.
You know, they made 14 shots in a row in that stretch, and that doesn't happen to us very often.
Q. Jackson, as a freshman, can you kind of just talk to me your first Big East tournament and the experiences there? You experienced big highs with the UConn win and then also a big low here.
JACKSON McANDREW: Yeah, I would say it was definitely a blessing going through this process. Got to feel a little bit of everything here on the wins and losses. I think I definitely learned a lot from Coach, from Ryan and all the older guys as we went through it. I think it was a great experience, obviously.
You know, this is something that I'm definitely going to be looking forward to in the next years.
Q. For Coach and Jackson, Coach, obviously a lot of teams pay attention to Ryan, to Steve, and to Jamiya kind of as your big three, but seeing Jasen step up last night and then obviously what Jackson was able to do tonight, can you talk about some of the younger guys and the confidence you see in them going into the tournament?
GREG McDERMOTT: I think a game like tonight is huge for Jackson to play as well as he did on this stage is great for his confidence. Ty Davis on Thursday played terrific for us. Jasen Green, to your point, yesterday had a great game.
I think any time young players can have success when the lights are the brightest, I think it helps them moving forward, motivates them to continue to work because it's validation of the work that they put in that it's paying off.
You know, we had some other guys step up. A lot of the year it's been Kalk and Steven and Jamiya, and then we would get guys sprinkled in. We don't get to tonight without guys off the bench and the play of Jackson and Jasen. It's really good for us I think moving into the tournament that guys are going to be disappointed in this loss, but feel good about some things that transpired.
Q. Ryan, did they do anything different in that stretch where they made 14 straight, or were they just hitting shots?
RYAN KALKBRENNER: I don't think they were doing anything drastically different. I think they had a little bit better execution. They were executing their offensive stuff better than we were executing our defensive stuff. They had a little more energy to what they were doing.
I don't know. It's hard to say right now. Obviously I think we'll have to go back and look at the film and learn from that.
Q. Coach, you talked about gaining experience for your team ahead of the tournament, but in terms of physicality you played a double overtime game against DePaul, you played a physical UConn team yesterday, and a physical St. John's team tonight. Do you think that your team is better prepared now in terms of endurance for what they might expect come tournament time?
GREG McDERMOTT: You know, we always play fast, so I think our endurance is pretty good, but to your point, you know, a 50-minute game late at night and then you crank it against UConn, it takes a lot of wind out of your sails.
Both teams played back-to-back nights. I think both teams are on fumes a little bit, and adrenaline kind of takes over and that gets you through a game like tonight. You know, we need a little rest.
Fedor's injury certainly didn't help. That took an important ball handler out of our line-up who was playing really well. That was unfortunate that our bench got pretty thin because of that injury.
Q. Ryan, I guess I know how badly you wanted to be in this game and to win this game, but you do have one more NCAA Tournament in front of you pretty soon. How challenging is it going to be, and what are the keys to just taking this for what it is and flipping the script so you guys can be locked in for that?
RYAN KALKBRENNER: When you're in your fifth year of college basketball, you learn how to turn the page. Obviously we're all going to be really disappointed about this one. We got an off day tomorrow to be a little disappointed and turn the page. I know we're all going to be locked in and ready to go on Monday, but yeah, like I said, I've done this five years for me. You know that the sun is coming up tomorrow, and you got more games to play, so you got to be locked in. Then just try and help guys like Jack, Ty, and the younger guys see that because I remember me as a freshman, I would have been not ready to turn the page at all.
So, yeah, just helping the young guys and helping everyone move forward from this because, like you said, we got more games to play.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
St. John's 82, Creighton 66
THE MODERATOR: Coach Pitino, when you are ready. Congratulations.
RICK PITINO: We had three phases we set out, and phase one was to win the regular Big East Championship. Phase two gets very difficult because you can't embrace what you are accomplishing. You just have to keep getting better. We accomplished that, and phase three was to make the tournament and go as far as we could possibly go.
These two young men make it possible. Kadary is about as much fun to coach as any coach could have because he takes coaching really well, and he owns up to every mistake he makes. In the first half we were just really intimidated by Kalkbrenner, and we were pulling up missing at midrange. What we talked about at halftime was to take it to the rim, use the rim as a shield. He can't cut through steel. Then take the three when it's there. Don't worry about the midrange game.
Both of these guys took it to the rim. They used the rim as jail, what we call jail, and even when we missed two free-throws, RJ got the rebound. So both of these guys have had an incredible season. I've said it all along with RJ that he's going to be even a better pro, and he's a hell of a college player. Kadary is going to have a long career because somebody is going to invest in Kadary and get a 6'6" guard who is going to play a long, long time in the NBA. I'm positive of that.
So I'm proud of both of them. Great win for the city. Great win for our university. You hear it all along that it's New York's team, and it truly is. As a New Yorker myself, I'm very, very proud that St. John's has gotten to this level.
So we're all excited. We're all thrilled. These guys deserve all the credit because they shot 72% in the second half, 66.7 from three, and they were just brilliant.
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please, for players.
Q. RJ, you go from Big East Player of the Year to Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player and most points, I guess, ever in a Big East Tournament Championship game. Can you just describe the feeling right now?
RJ LUIS JR.: First and foremost, got to give the glory to God. Without him, wouldn't be here. I'm just very blessed for this opportunity.
Like Coach P says, there's not that many second chances in life, so when the opportunity presents itself, you've got to grab it by the neck. I mean, I'm just truly happy. Wow, this is incredible just to come from last year to this year and to see the transformation. Obviously we brought in big-time transfers with Kooks here, Deivon, A. Scott, Vince, so it's just great.
Coach P is the mastermind behind all of this. I mean, it's truly special. I'm at a loss for words. Been asked a lot of questions so far.
I'm just truly blessed, and I'm just very happy to bring this championship back to New York City and obviously St. John's University. We're going to continue to build on.
Q. RJ, when you climbed up the ladder the second time and you were sitting there on the rim and you had the flag on you and everything, posing for the photos, can you kind of think of a better encapsulation of everything you thought this journey with Coach Pitino could be in that moment?
RJ LUIS JR.: I didn't think you were going to out me in front of Coach P like that. He could have been like, Oh, don't climb on the ladder, you might get hurt.
As a little kid, you dream with these special moments during the March Madness and the tournament championship. When I was little, I would see the guys go up to the ladders and cut the nets. Obviously to do it myself is incredible. It's a great feeling. I mean, I'm just truly blessed.
God has been so good to me. I just keep my faith in him and know that he has already planned all this. This has been my destiny. I'm just continuing to work on my craft and just trust in the process.
Q. Kadary, I wonder as a New York kid, can you walk me through your day today when you woke up and you realized kind of what was on the line tonight and what the building was going to be like and then taking the bus here and kind of whatever you were feeling? Did it sink in what the possibilities were of this day?
KADARY RICHMOND: I knew what today was going to be like after what happened yesterday. You know, just waking up today, we had breakfast, walk-through. You want the whole day or -- (laughing).
RJ LUIS JR.: Tell him what we ate for breakfast (laughing).
KADARY RICHMOND: We had walk-through, got back, took a nap. We had film, and then we got here, warmed up, and we got a big win.
Q. You fell asleep during your nap?
KADARY RICHMOND: Definitely. Pregame nap.
Q. RJ, you guys have been thinking about championship all season. You were thinking about the regular season championship, and now you were thinking about the tournament championship. Is the lived experience of having won it, how does that compare with what you imaged it might be?
RJ LUIS JR.: I don't think it settled in yet. Just still trying to soak it in, and it's just crazy how much you can speak things into existence and just watch it all come together.
This has by far been the most emotional, happiest week of my 22 years of existence, so this is great. I mean, I love Coach P, what he does for his players. He looks out for all of us. Not even Coach P, but the whole entire coaching staff, all my teammates.
We mesh. We gel very well together. We goof around on and off the court. We go to war every day in practice to obviously experience moments like these.
Q. What were conversations like at halftime when you were still just a little bit behind?
RJ LUIS JR.: The conversation was just not to let up. We were only down I think two points.
RICK PITINO: Three.
RJ LUIS JR.: My bad. Three points. Just to lock in. Like he said, he brought up trying to attack Kalkbrenner and not being phased from his length and stuff like that and using the rim as jail.
I mean, that's really it. We've been through a lot of adversity this year. Like Coach P says, his famous quote with what's the basketball game if you know that -- what does he say? He says something about, This is the game of life. So, I mean, really just sticking to the principles and knowing that basketball obviously is a game of runs. The other team is going to go on their runs. So we just try our best to stick to our defensive principles and win the game.
Q. For both Kadary and RJ. Congratulations, first of all, on an incredible tournament. Early in the season Coach had a concern about the players and listening. As you guys have developed over the course of the season, one of the things that's been noticeable in the games is how in the second half you guys seem to get sharper and close out opponents. In terms of the NCAA Tournament coming up, do you have any concerns going forward? What do you expect from Coach?
KADARY RICHMOND: I don't think we have any concerns yet. We don't know where we play or who we're going to play. So just taking it day by day, staying humble like we've been, and being ready to go when our name is called.
Q. RJ, you talk about this being a game of runs. Just during that run where you guys made 14 consecutive baskets in the second half, what is that like? What was going through your head as you guys are going through that run? What allowed you to get so hot specifically?
RJ LUIS JR.: I mean, we definitely fed off the crowd, the energy, the atmosphere. It was ridiculous. It was very loud. I mean, it's great to have that level of support from the atmosphere. We feed off that energy, so it's big-time.
Obviously, like Kooks said about we're not going to know where we're going to play, but we want to get the 2 seed in the East so we can stay local and our fans can come out and support.
Q. Kadary, that second half from RJ, what was it like watching him 27 points and just what do you think worked for him so well there?
KADARY RICHMOND: I think that was just beast mode being beast mode. You know, he got in foul trouble in the first half, so there was no doubt in my mind that he was coming out to be aggressive and do anything to get a win.
THE MODERATOR: Kadary and RJ, thank you. Questions for Coach.
Q. Rick, when you brought in Zuby and RJ last year, did you look at those guys and think, these could be star players on a championship team?
RICK PITINO: I think that neither guy was heavily recruited. Neither guy had great seasons where they were, but after working both of them out, I thought they both had great potential as basketball players, could get a lot better.
Did I expect them to reach these heights? I didn't really think about it, but I have great gratitude that they did because we won a regular season and a Big East Championship because of their play. The three of them have been unstoppable.
Q. Coach, at any point leading up to today or during the tournament, did Coach Carnesecca cross your mind, and what do you think he would say about this team?
RICK PITINO: No, he didn't cross my mind during the game. He crosses my mind after the game. I'm thinking he would be so proud of this team.
You know, I say it all along. St. John's is Lou Carnesecca, Chris Mullin, Mark Jackson, Walter Berry, and all the great from Joe DePre and Johnny Warren back in the day. That's St. John's.
I'm just a caretaker of what all those guys built and I'm a proud caretaker of that. After the game you obviously think of Lou and how proud he would have been.
Q. Coach, just under the 12 minute mark was the first time you took the lead in this game, and I did a tweet: The minute St. John's takes the lead in this game, it's over, and it was. It was Vince that made the basket, and I think Vince has been playing incredible starting in this tournament really. Can you comment on that turning point? Also, the way the crowd helped you.
RICK PITINO: Well, the crowd was great, and I'm glad you have those tweeting powers. It's amazing that you have those powers (smiling). Kreskin would be very proud of that.
He made a very good play inside. He's a project, but he's a worthwhile project. I'm a very confident coach. Didn't have quite your confidence, but I was very appreciative.
Q. Rebuilding a program is hard. You've taken this St. John's program from around the middle of the conference to being just on the edge of the tournament, to now you've won a regular season title, a tournament title, and you're probably going to be a very, very high seed in this NCAA Tournament. What message would you send to this country that have been used to a St. John's team towards the middle and now they're about to see in March Madness a St. John's team towards the top?
RICK PITINO: I don't send any messages to anyone. Humility is a big part of my life right now. It wasn't always that way. I don't believe in redemption. I believe in humility. I don't believe in things that -- I believe in living what I call the precious present, a gift that we all get.
We just lost a super star in Louisville, Junior Bridgeman, who was a young man who didn't smoke, didn't drink, carried his life in God's name in a big way. So I take life as one day at a time. I take it one game at a time. I don't consider ourselves that people should beware of us. I've lost in the first round. I've been to seven Final Fours. So we'll take it one game at a time, one possession at a time.
Q. Both Coach Smart and Coach Hurley yesterday commented on sort of the officiating differences in the Big East versus the NCAA Tournament and the style of play there. How do you see your team --
RICK PITINO: What did they say? I don't listen to those guys at press conferences. I mean, they're very interesting, but...
Q. Yeah. They talked about the physicality and how there's a lot more physicality that's allowed in the Big East versus the NCAA Tournament. Do you buy that having an impact?
RICK PITINO: That's been going on when I coached at Providence when John Thompson was roaming the sidelines. Everybody said the Big East is a much more physical league. Tonight those officials did a great job.
I don't know what he was doing with RJ when RJ went three, and he thought he was making a gun sign. I don't think RJ knows what a gun is.
It is physical, but you have to adjust come tournament time. You have to adjust, move your feet more, but that's been said in 1987 when I was a coach, they said that about the Big East. I think that Connecticut did an awfully good job of adjusting, don't you think, in the last two years of adjusting to the officiating? I know Danny is very happy with officials, especially in the tournament (smiling).
Q. You've obviously been here before with different programs, but what does it mean to have St. John's here, Big East regular season tournament, postseason tournament. It's been a program that's basically been dormant for 25 years, and people said St. John's couldn't do this. What's it like for you to be able to bring it back?
RICK PITINO: Well, first of all, I think there's a lot of misrepresentations about NIL. NIL didn't get us this team because Zuby and RJ are very low-paid players. That's nonsense about the NIL.
When you are in free agency right now, you know and you've seen it for all of you that carry pro sports, you get a batter that you think is going to really help the Yankees, the Mets win, whatever it may be, bats .150. You don't know what you are getting.
Somebody asked me about Zuby and RJ. You don't know what you are getting. Zuby didn't even play at Kansas. RJ was a good freshman, solid, but you don't know what you are getting.
So here's two stars, very underpaid. I'm sure they'll be at Matt's window as soon as the season ends, but they're not going anywhere. So you build a team by making sure you understand the whole puzzle of what goes into it, and people just mischaracterize the NIL and why St. John's has been built. St. John's didn't get built by the NIL. St. John's got built with character of the players, and certainly we are excited to have these young men.
Q. Rick, every team that comes here to the Big East Tournament wants to win it. Do you feel like because of where St. John's has been, because of where St. John's is located, and because of the building it's played in, that St. John's winning the championship is kind of a bigger deal?
RICK PITINO: Well, because of everything that Zach just mentioned and you guys keep pointing it out about all the things that weren't accomplished before I was born -- we keep saying 40 years, 25. I wasn't around back then. I was in my prime in diapers.
I am as a New Yorker about as proud as any person could be because, you know, when I hear St. John's is New York's team and we're New York strong and we represent New York, that makes me feel awesome inside. So for New York, for St. John's, to see that crowd tonight, it's an extra special feeling for me.
Now, I was elated with Louisville when we came in here and won three times I believe, elated for the players. There's an extra special feeling being a New Yorker who grew up on 26th Street and grew up in Queens and then Long Island. For me it's just extra, extra special because I share this with every fan that takes great pride in what accomplished this year.
The fans are very much part of our team. Tonight when we celebrate, I will toast the fans, I will toast you, Roger, and I will toast everybody in this room that's supported us. It's a lot of drinks tonight, guys (laughing). Thank you all very much.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
153682-1-1878 2025-03-16 02:18:00 GMT
Creighton started the game with a 10-2 run to force a quick timeout from BIG EAST Coach of the Year Rick Pitino, getting two baskets by Ryan Kalkbrenner, and three-pointers from Jackson McAndrew and Jamiya Neal. Creighton made seven straight shots at one point before a 1-for-11 drought that saw the Red Storm climb within one at 22-21. The Bluejays never trailed in the opening 20 minutes and took a 28-25 lead into the break, paced by nine and five rebounds by Neal. Zuby Ejiofor contributed seven points and three assists to pace the Johnnies.
RJ Luis Jr. scored nine of the Johnnies' first 13 points out of the break and hit a corner three-pointer to create the game's first tie at 38-all with 14:26 left, and the Red Storm took their first lead two minutes later at 43-41 on a hoop by Vince Iwuchukwu. Just as it looked like the Red Storm was pulling away with a 49-44 lead, the Bluejays answered with a long two by Isaac Traudt to beat the shot clock and a dunk in transition by Neal cut the Red Storm's lead to 49-48 with 9:05 remaining. CU never got any closer.
Three straight lay-ups in a span of 46 seconds moved the Johnnies lead to 58-50 with 7:28 to go. That was part of a seven-minute stretch in which the Red Storm made 14 straight shots, eventually moving in front 70-55. With a raucous crowd supporting them, the Red Storm's margin remained in double-figures the rest of the way.
CU had four starters in double-figures, paced by 15 points from Kalkbrenner, while McAndrew added in 14 points and six rebounds. Jasen Green had three steals. CU shot 43.3 perfect from the field and 23.1 percent from three-point land, while shooting 50 percent (8-of-16) from the free throw line.
Luis Jr. had 27 of his 29 points in the second half to lead St. John's and added 10 rebounds. Fellow All-BIG EAST pick Zuby Ejiofor had 20 points, while Kadary Richmond had 12 points and 12 rebounds . The Johnnies shot 52.3 percent for the game and after entering the day 341st nationally in three-point percentage (.300), made 50.0 percent on Saturday.
Creighton will await its NCAA Tournament destination on Sunday night at 5 p.m. when it hosts a public viewing party inside D.J. Sokol Arena to watch the Selection Show on CBS. Doors will open at 4 p.m.
NOTES: Prior to today, the only current league team Creighton had never finished a game against in the BIG EAST Tournament was St. John's. A scheduled 2020 quarterfinal round match-up was halted at halftime due to the COVID-19 pandemic ... Today was just the second time in the last 20 years that the top two seeds met in the BIG EAST Tournament final ... Ryan Kalkbrenner surpassed 2,400 career points early in the first half ...Ryan Kalkbrenner blocked a shot for the 19th straight game and scored in double-figures for the 26th time in a row ... ... Ryan Kalkbrenner passed Bob Harstad for second place on Creighton's all-time rebound chart ... Creighton's 28 points were its most ever in the first half of a BIG EAST Tournament final ... Jackson McAndrew now owns 62 three-pointers this season, trailing only Ethan Wragge (68), Ryan Sears (63) and Kyle Korver (63) among freshmen in program history ... Ryan Kalkbrenner became the 12th player in history to be named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team three times, and first Creighton student-athlete to do so... St. John's won its first BIG EAST Tournament since 2000 ... After going 12-1 in Missouri Valley Conference Tournament finals from 1977-2013, Creighton fell to 0-5 in BIG EAST Tournament title games since 2014 ... This is the first time the No. 1 seed has won the BIG EAST Tournament in three straight years ... Creighton fell to 61-175 all-time against Top 25 teams ... Creighton fell to 20-3 when leading at halftime ... Jackson McAndrew's 14 points were the most by a Creighton freshman in a conference tournament final since Dane Watts had 14 in the 2005 MVC Tournament final vs. Missouri State.
2025 BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP ALL-TOURNAMENT
The winner of the Dave Gavitt Trophy as the Most Outstanding Player of the BIG EAST Tournament.
RJ LUIS JR., ST. JOHN'S
The 2025 BIG EAST All-Tournament Team
ZUBY EJIOFOR, ST. JOHN'S
KADARY RICHMOND, ST. JOHN'S
RYAN KALKBRENNER, CREIGHTON
KAM JONES, MARQUETTE
RYAN CONWELL, XAVIER
Big East Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Saturday, March 15, 2025
New York, New York, USA
Madison Square Garden
Creighton Bluejays
Head Coach Greg McDermott
Jackson McAndrew
Ryan Kalkbrenner
Postgame Media Conference
St. John's 82, Creighton 66
THE MODERATOR: For Creighton Coach Greg McDermott, and we have Jackson McAndrew and Ryan Kalkbrenner.
GREG McDERMOTT: Well, congrats to St. John's. They've had a remarkable year. Dominated our league and pretty much saved their best for this conference tournament. They just wear into you over time.
I would have guessed at halftime that 66 points might be enough to win the game, the way both teams were defending, but they made some shots the second half and then we made some mistakes, and we made those mistakes.
We went under RJ a couple of times by mistake. We blew a switch on an out of bounce play. That was nine points. Sometimes you make mistakes, and they don't cost you because they miss the shots, but tonight every time we made a mistake, they made us pay.
We lost to a really good basketball team. I think they're going to represent the Big East in a positive way next week.
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. You guys made the run to get here, fended off DePaul on Thursday, and beat UConn last night. How tough is it to get back to this point and have the second half unfold the way it did?
GREG McDERMOTT: I mean, it's hard to get to this game, let's be honest. We've been fortunate to be here quite a few times. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to finish the job.
But, like I told the guys, obviously we're disappointed in tonight, but we also need to be proud of the fact we essentially won a road game last night against a really good team, and then you have to hook it up and play another road game tonight against a really good team in an electric environment.
I'm proud of what these guys have accomplished to this point, and the season is not over. You know, we're going to celebrate tomorrow, and then we're going to flip the switch and turn it into preparation mode.
Q. Ryan, what stings the most when you think about just the last ten minutes and kind of how on fire they were and how kind of alive the building came?
RYAN KALKBRENNER: You know, it's a really tough environment to play in. They got hot, and like Mac said, our focus in the second half wasn't as good on defense, so it was harder for us to kind of keep them from getting what they wanted. Obviously, they scored 57 points.
Yeah, it should never happen to us. We're a much better defensive team than that. So just kind of knowing that we had a better defensive effort to give in the second half.
Q. Coach, you played a pretty aggressive drop coverage with Ryan to start out the game, and it worked in the first half. What kind of led to that decision and then kind of what did St. John's do to counter that successfully?
GREG McDERMOTT: That's our base defense. We tried to stay on top of Kadary and RJ a little bit and make them cut towards the baseline instead of towards the top of the floor. We did a pretty good job of that the first half.
The second half, like I said, we made some mistakes on some screens, closed out short on RJ a couple of times, and a couple of those threes were killers. You know, then I thought Zuby made some tough plays around the basket. He had a couple tough finishes over Ryan that not many people do.
You know, they made 14 shots in a row in that stretch, and that doesn't happen to us very often.
Q. Jackson, as a freshman, can you kind of just talk to me your first Big East tournament and the experiences there? You experienced big highs with the UConn win and then also a big low here.
JACKSON McANDREW: Yeah, I would say it was definitely a blessing going through this process. Got to feel a little bit of everything here on the wins and losses. I think I definitely learned a lot from Coach, from Ryan and all the older guys as we went through it. I think it was a great experience, obviously.
You know, this is something that I'm definitely going to be looking forward to in the next years.
Q. For Coach and Jackson, Coach, obviously a lot of teams pay attention to Ryan, to Steve, and to Jamiya kind of as your big three, but seeing Jasen step up last night and then obviously what Jackson was able to do tonight, can you talk about some of the younger guys and the confidence you see in them going into the tournament?
GREG McDERMOTT: I think a game like tonight is huge for Jackson to play as well as he did on this stage is great for his confidence. Ty Davis on Thursday played terrific for us. Jasen Green, to your point, yesterday had a great game.
I think any time young players can have success when the lights are the brightest, I think it helps them moving forward, motivates them to continue to work because it's validation of the work that they put in that it's paying off.
You know, we had some other guys step up. A lot of the year it's been Kalk and Steven and Jamiya, and then we would get guys sprinkled in. We don't get to tonight without guys off the bench and the play of Jackson and Jasen. It's really good for us I think moving into the tournament that guys are going to be disappointed in this loss, but feel good about some things that transpired.
Q. Ryan, did they do anything different in that stretch where they made 14 straight, or were they just hitting shots?
RYAN KALKBRENNER: I don't think they were doing anything drastically different. I think they had a little bit better execution. They were executing their offensive stuff better than we were executing our defensive stuff. They had a little more energy to what they were doing.
I don't know. It's hard to say right now. Obviously I think we'll have to go back and look at the film and learn from that.
Q. Coach, you talked about gaining experience for your team ahead of the tournament, but in terms of physicality you played a double overtime game against DePaul, you played a physical UConn team yesterday, and a physical St. John's team tonight. Do you think that your team is better prepared now in terms of endurance for what they might expect come tournament time?
GREG McDERMOTT: You know, we always play fast, so I think our endurance is pretty good, but to your point, you know, a 50-minute game late at night and then you crank it against UConn, it takes a lot of wind out of your sails.
Both teams played back-to-back nights. I think both teams are on fumes a little bit, and adrenaline kind of takes over and that gets you through a game like tonight. You know, we need a little rest.
Fedor's injury certainly didn't help. That took an important ball handler out of our line-up who was playing really well. That was unfortunate that our bench got pretty thin because of that injury.
Q. Ryan, I guess I know how badly you wanted to be in this game and to win this game, but you do have one more NCAA Tournament in front of you pretty soon. How challenging is it going to be, and what are the keys to just taking this for what it is and flipping the script so you guys can be locked in for that?
RYAN KALKBRENNER: When you're in your fifth year of college basketball, you learn how to turn the page. Obviously we're all going to be really disappointed about this one. We got an off day tomorrow to be a little disappointed and turn the page. I know we're all going to be locked in and ready to go on Monday, but yeah, like I said, I've done this five years for me. You know that the sun is coming up tomorrow, and you got more games to play, so you got to be locked in. Then just try and help guys like Jack, Ty, and the younger guys see that because I remember me as a freshman, I would have been not ready to turn the page at all.
So, yeah, just helping the young guys and helping everyone move forward from this because, like you said, we got more games to play.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Big East Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Saturday, March 15, 2025
New York, New York, USA
Madison Square Garden
St. John's Red Storm
Head Coach Rick Pitino
Postgame Media Conference
St. John's 82, Creighton 66
THE MODERATOR: Coach Pitino, when you are ready. Congratulations.
RICK PITINO: We had three phases we set out, and phase one was to win the regular Big East Championship. Phase two gets very difficult because you can't embrace what you are accomplishing. You just have to keep getting better. We accomplished that, and phase three was to make the tournament and go as far as we could possibly go.
These two young men make it possible. Kadary is about as much fun to coach as any coach could have because he takes coaching really well, and he owns up to every mistake he makes. In the first half we were just really intimidated by Kalkbrenner, and we were pulling up missing at midrange. What we talked about at halftime was to take it to the rim, use the rim as a shield. He can't cut through steel. Then take the three when it's there. Don't worry about the midrange game.
Both of these guys took it to the rim. They used the rim as jail, what we call jail, and even when we missed two free-throws, RJ got the rebound. So both of these guys have had an incredible season. I've said it all along with RJ that he's going to be even a better pro, and he's a hell of a college player. Kadary is going to have a long career because somebody is going to invest in Kadary and get a 6'6" guard who is going to play a long, long time in the NBA. I'm positive of that.
So I'm proud of both of them. Great win for the city. Great win for our university. You hear it all along that it's New York's team, and it truly is. As a New Yorker myself, I'm very, very proud that St. John's has gotten to this level.
So we're all excited. We're all thrilled. These guys deserve all the credit because they shot 72% in the second half, 66.7 from three, and they were just brilliant.
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please, for players.
Q. RJ, you go from Big East Player of the Year to Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player and most points, I guess, ever in a Big East Tournament Championship game. Can you just describe the feeling right now?
RJ LUIS JR.: First and foremost, got to give the glory to God. Without him, wouldn't be here. I'm just very blessed for this opportunity.
Like Coach P says, there's not that many second chances in life, so when the opportunity presents itself, you've got to grab it by the neck. I mean, I'm just truly happy. Wow, this is incredible just to come from last year to this year and to see the transformation. Obviously we brought in big-time transfers with Kooks here, Deivon, A. Scott, Vince, so it's just great.
Coach P is the mastermind behind all of this. I mean, it's truly special. I'm at a loss for words. Been asked a lot of questions so far.
I'm just truly blessed, and I'm just very happy to bring this championship back to New York City and obviously St. John's University. We're going to continue to build on.
Q. RJ, when you climbed up the ladder the second time and you were sitting there on the rim and you had the flag on you and everything, posing for the photos, can you kind of think of a better encapsulation of everything you thought this journey with Coach Pitino could be in that moment?
RJ LUIS JR.: I didn't think you were going to out me in front of Coach P like that. He could have been like, Oh, don't climb on the ladder, you might get hurt.
As a little kid, you dream with these special moments during the March Madness and the tournament championship. When I was little, I would see the guys go up to the ladders and cut the nets. Obviously to do it myself is incredible. It's a great feeling. I mean, I'm just truly blessed.
God has been so good to me. I just keep my faith in him and know that he has already planned all this. This has been my destiny. I'm just continuing to work on my craft and just trust in the process.
Q. Kadary, I wonder as a New York kid, can you walk me through your day today when you woke up and you realized kind of what was on the line tonight and what the building was going to be like and then taking the bus here and kind of whatever you were feeling? Did it sink in what the possibilities were of this day?
KADARY RICHMOND: I knew what today was going to be like after what happened yesterday. You know, just waking up today, we had breakfast, walk-through. You want the whole day or -- (laughing).
RJ LUIS JR.: Tell him what we ate for breakfast (laughing).
KADARY RICHMOND: We had walk-through, got back, took a nap. We had film, and then we got here, warmed up, and we got a big win.
Q. You fell asleep during your nap?
KADARY RICHMOND: Definitely. Pregame nap.
Q. RJ, you guys have been thinking about championship all season. You were thinking about the regular season championship, and now you were thinking about the tournament championship. Is the lived experience of having won it, how does that compare with what you imaged it might be?
RJ LUIS JR.: I don't think it settled in yet. Just still trying to soak it in, and it's just crazy how much you can speak things into existence and just watch it all come together.
This has by far been the most emotional, happiest week of my 22 years of existence, so this is great. I mean, I love Coach P, what he does for his players. He looks out for all of us. Not even Coach P, but the whole entire coaching staff, all my teammates.
We mesh. We gel very well together. We goof around on and off the court. We go to war every day in practice to obviously experience moments like these.
Q. What were conversations like at halftime when you were still just a little bit behind?
RJ LUIS JR.: The conversation was just not to let up. We were only down I think two points.
RICK PITINO: Three.
RJ LUIS JR.: My bad. Three points. Just to lock in. Like he said, he brought up trying to attack Kalkbrenner and not being phased from his length and stuff like that and using the rim as jail.
I mean, that's really it. We've been through a lot of adversity this year. Like Coach P says, his famous quote with what's the basketball game if you know that -- what does he say? He says something about, This is the game of life. So, I mean, really just sticking to the principles and knowing that basketball obviously is a game of runs. The other team is going to go on their runs. So we just try our best to stick to our defensive principles and win the game.
Q. For both Kadary and RJ. Congratulations, first of all, on an incredible tournament. Early in the season Coach had a concern about the players and listening. As you guys have developed over the course of the season, one of the things that's been noticeable in the games is how in the second half you guys seem to get sharper and close out opponents. In terms of the NCAA Tournament coming up, do you have any concerns going forward? What do you expect from Coach?
KADARY RICHMOND: I don't think we have any concerns yet. We don't know where we play or who we're going to play. So just taking it day by day, staying humble like we've been, and being ready to go when our name is called.
Q. RJ, you talk about this being a game of runs. Just during that run where you guys made 14 consecutive baskets in the second half, what is that like? What was going through your head as you guys are going through that run? What allowed you to get so hot specifically?
RJ LUIS JR.: I mean, we definitely fed off the crowd, the energy, the atmosphere. It was ridiculous. It was very loud. I mean, it's great to have that level of support from the atmosphere. We feed off that energy, so it's big-time.
Obviously, like Kooks said about we're not going to know where we're going to play, but we want to get the 2 seed in the East so we can stay local and our fans can come out and support.
Q. Kadary, that second half from RJ, what was it like watching him 27 points and just what do you think worked for him so well there?
KADARY RICHMOND: I think that was just beast mode being beast mode. You know, he got in foul trouble in the first half, so there was no doubt in my mind that he was coming out to be aggressive and do anything to get a win.
THE MODERATOR: Kadary and RJ, thank you. Questions for Coach.
Q. Rick, when you brought in Zuby and RJ last year, did you look at those guys and think, these could be star players on a championship team?
RICK PITINO: I think that neither guy was heavily recruited. Neither guy had great seasons where they were, but after working both of them out, I thought they both had great potential as basketball players, could get a lot better.
Did I expect them to reach these heights? I didn't really think about it, but I have great gratitude that they did because we won a regular season and a Big East Championship because of their play. The three of them have been unstoppable.
Q. Coach, at any point leading up to today or during the tournament, did Coach Carnesecca cross your mind, and what do you think he would say about this team?
RICK PITINO: No, he didn't cross my mind during the game. He crosses my mind after the game. I'm thinking he would be so proud of this team.
You know, I say it all along. St. John's is Lou Carnesecca, Chris Mullin, Mark Jackson, Walter Berry, and all the great from Joe DePre and Johnny Warren back in the day. That's St. John's.
I'm just a caretaker of what all those guys built and I'm a proud caretaker of that. After the game you obviously think of Lou and how proud he would have been.
Q. Coach, just under the 12 minute mark was the first time you took the lead in this game, and I did a tweet: The minute St. John's takes the lead in this game, it's over, and it was. It was Vince that made the basket, and I think Vince has been playing incredible starting in this tournament really. Can you comment on that turning point? Also, the way the crowd helped you.
RICK PITINO: Well, the crowd was great, and I'm glad you have those tweeting powers. It's amazing that you have those powers (smiling). Kreskin would be very proud of that.
He made a very good play inside. He's a project, but he's a worthwhile project. I'm a very confident coach. Didn't have quite your confidence, but I was very appreciative.
Q. Rebuilding a program is hard. You've taken this St. John's program from around the middle of the conference to being just on the edge of the tournament, to now you've won a regular season title, a tournament title, and you're probably going to be a very, very high seed in this NCAA Tournament. What message would you send to this country that have been used to a St. John's team towards the middle and now they're about to see in March Madness a St. John's team towards the top?
RICK PITINO: I don't send any messages to anyone. Humility is a big part of my life right now. It wasn't always that way. I don't believe in redemption. I believe in humility. I don't believe in things that -- I believe in living what I call the precious present, a gift that we all get.
We just lost a super star in Louisville, Junior Bridgeman, who was a young man who didn't smoke, didn't drink, carried his life in God's name in a big way. So I take life as one day at a time. I take it one game at a time. I don't consider ourselves that people should beware of us. I've lost in the first round. I've been to seven Final Fours. So we'll take it one game at a time, one possession at a time.
Q. Both Coach Smart and Coach Hurley yesterday commented on sort of the officiating differences in the Big East versus the NCAA Tournament and the style of play there. How do you see your team --
RICK PITINO: What did they say? I don't listen to those guys at press conferences. I mean, they're very interesting, but...
Q. Yeah. They talked about the physicality and how there's a lot more physicality that's allowed in the Big East versus the NCAA Tournament. Do you buy that having an impact?
RICK PITINO: That's been going on when I coached at Providence when John Thompson was roaming the sidelines. Everybody said the Big East is a much more physical league. Tonight those officials did a great job.
I don't know what he was doing with RJ when RJ went three, and he thought he was making a gun sign. I don't think RJ knows what a gun is.
It is physical, but you have to adjust come tournament time. You have to adjust, move your feet more, but that's been said in 1987 when I was a coach, they said that about the Big East. I think that Connecticut did an awfully good job of adjusting, don't you think, in the last two years of adjusting to the officiating? I know Danny is very happy with officials, especially in the tournament (smiling).
Q. You've obviously been here before with different programs, but what does it mean to have St. John's here, Big East regular season tournament, postseason tournament. It's been a program that's basically been dormant for 25 years, and people said St. John's couldn't do this. What's it like for you to be able to bring it back?
RICK PITINO: Well, first of all, I think there's a lot of misrepresentations about NIL. NIL didn't get us this team because Zuby and RJ are very low-paid players. That's nonsense about the NIL.
When you are in free agency right now, you know and you've seen it for all of you that carry pro sports, you get a batter that you think is going to really help the Yankees, the Mets win, whatever it may be, bats .150. You don't know what you are getting.
Somebody asked me about Zuby and RJ. You don't know what you are getting. Zuby didn't even play at Kansas. RJ was a good freshman, solid, but you don't know what you are getting.
So here's two stars, very underpaid. I'm sure they'll be at Matt's window as soon as the season ends, but they're not going anywhere. So you build a team by making sure you understand the whole puzzle of what goes into it, and people just mischaracterize the NIL and why St. John's has been built. St. John's didn't get built by the NIL. St. John's got built with character of the players, and certainly we are excited to have these young men.
Q. Rick, every team that comes here to the Big East Tournament wants to win it. Do you feel like because of where St. John's has been, because of where St. John's is located, and because of the building it's played in, that St. John's winning the championship is kind of a bigger deal?
RICK PITINO: Well, because of everything that Zach just mentioned and you guys keep pointing it out about all the things that weren't accomplished before I was born -- we keep saying 40 years, 25. I wasn't around back then. I was in my prime in diapers.
I am as a New Yorker about as proud as any person could be because, you know, when I hear St. John's is New York's team and we're New York strong and we represent New York, that makes me feel awesome inside. So for New York, for St. John's, to see that crowd tonight, it's an extra special feeling for me.
Now, I was elated with Louisville when we came in here and won three times I believe, elated for the players. There's an extra special feeling being a New Yorker who grew up on 26th Street and grew up in Queens and then Long Island. For me it's just extra, extra special because I share this with every fan that takes great pride in what accomplished this year.
The fans are very much part of our team. Tonight when we celebrate, I will toast the fans, I will toast you, Roger, and I will toast everybody in this room that's supported us. It's a lot of drinks tonight, guys (laughing). Thank you all very much.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
153682-1-1878 2025-03-16 02:18:00 GMT
Team Stats
CU
SJU
FG%
.433
.523
3FG%
.231
.500
FT%
.500
.636
RB
34
39
TO
15
9
STL
5
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
13
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
5
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG/F
/ Men's Basketball
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