No. 7 St. John’s tops Butler 76-70 to clinch share of 1st Big East regular-season title in 33 years

By Canadian Press on February 26, 2025.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — RJ Luis Jr. scored 24 points and No. 7 St. John’s clinched a share of its first Big East regular-season title in 33 years by beating Butler 76-70 on Wednesday night.

Kadary Richmond had 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Red Storm (25-4, 16-2), who set a school record for conference wins and secured the sixth Big East regular-season championship in program history.

They can wrap up an outright league crown Saturday with a victory over Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden or a Creighton loss at Xavier.

The only outright Big East regular-season title for St. John’s came in 1985 on the way to a Final Four appearance.

“We are not interested in sharing anything,” said Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino, who has led a remarkable turnaround in two seasons at St. John’s. “I’ll share other things in my life. I’m not interested in sharing championships.”

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Chris Goff, The Associated Press