St. John's Red Storm faced a tough night on the court against the Connecticut Huskies, leaving head coach Rick Pitino with little to say to the media. After a deflating loss, Pitino, at 73, kept his postgame comments brief, clearly frustrated by the outcome.
The Huskies, ranked No. 6, dominated the No. 15 Red Storm with a decisive 72-40 victory.
St. John's performance in the second half was particularly troubling, missing 24 consecutive shots-an unfortunate record for an Associated Press-ranked team over the past eight seasons, according to ESPN Insights.
Joson Sanon was the lone bright spot for St. John's, leading with 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting.
The team's overall shooting was a mere 11-of-56, a stat that left Pitino visibly upset. He candidly took responsibility for the team's struggles, comparing the performance to one of the weakest he's seen in his 37-year coaching career.
Pitino recalled a similar experience from his early days at Kentucky, mentioning a tough loss at Kansas in 1989. "It's all on me," he admitted, expressing disappointment in the team's offensive execution and ball movement.
Looking ahead, the Red Storm will face the Villanova Wildcats, another formidable opponent. With the game set for Saturday night, St. John's will need to regroup and improve their shooting to avoid another difficult postgame session with their coach.