Rick Pitino and the St. John’s Red Storm were the toast of the proverbial college basketball town this past week. A road win at two-time reigning national champion UConn, plus a 10-game Big East winning streak, had the Johnnies feeling like it was 1985. That was the last time St. John’s won that many games in a row in the Big East … and coincidentally, it was also the last time it made the Final Four.
None of that mattered to Villanova on Wednesday night, though. A veteran team desperately trying to claw its way back into the at-large picture, the Wildcats survived a rare hot-shooting Johnnies performance and handed St. John’s its first loss since Dec. 31.
A frenetic final few minutes made for a dramatic finish. Trailing 70-66, St. John’s went on a mini 5-0 run to take the lead, capped by a clutch go-ahead triple by sophomore sniper Simeon Wilcher with 28 seconds left. That was St. John’s 11th 3-pointer of the evening; it’s most in Big East play and second-most in the entire season. For a team with well-documented shooting issues, that sounds like a game it should win.
Villanova’s ensuing possession down 71-70 started sloppily, but the experienced group found its footing and zipped the ball around the perimeter until it landed in the hands of sophomore southpaw Tyler Perkins. The Penn transfer continued a banner week for Philadelphia sports, canning his fourth trey of the night to retake the lead 73-71.
TYLER. PERKINS. GAME. WINNER. 😮@Tylerperkins_5 | @NovaMBB
pic.twitter.com/bJAv7oe7nz— BIG EAST MBB (@BIGEASTMBB) February 13, 2025
Stout Villanova defense forced a tough, double-pump Wilcher jumper at the horn, and his miss wrapped up a monumental result in the Big East standings.
A stranglehold on the regular-season title was within the Red Storm’s grasp. After UConn went to Creighton and knocked off the Bluejays, Pitino’s Johnnies could have sat two games clear atop the table when Creighton comes to town Sunday.
Instead, Madison Square Garden will host a showdown for the conference lead. That game is doubly important to St. John’s, as its last loss 10 games ago came to the very same Creighton Bluejays — meaning a sweep would hand Creighton the head-to-head tiebreaker. If revenge was somehow not enough motivation for the Red Storm, bouncing back from Wednesday night’s disappointment will certainly add fuel to the fire.
Villanova, meanwhile, has breathed the slightest amount of life back into its at-large hopes. This was the Wildcats’ first Q1 win of the season, giving them the kind of headliner victory that looks quite shiny sitting atop a tournament resume. More wins are certainly needed, but with upcoming matchups against UConn and Marquette looming, opportunity knocks for a late-season surge.
At the bare minimum, Villanova showed that it can compete — and beat — the best in the conference. With Wooga Poplar (20.3 PPG over his last four games) and Eric Dixon (the nation’s leading scorer at 23.8 PPG) forming a daunting dynamic duo, the Wildcats could conceivably go on a magic carpet ride at Madison Square Garden during the Big East Tournament.
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(Photo: Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)
