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St. John’s earns trip to NCAA Tournament
Men’s hoops squad was last team selected, but returns the dance for fi rst time since 2015
BY STEPHEN LEPORE
Despite a run down the
stretch that threatened to derail
their postseason hopes, St.
John’s basketball is headed back
to the dance.
Chris Mullin’s Red Storm
team will be the school’s first
NCAA Tournament berth since
2015, but they face a difficult
challenge as the last team
selected to the brackets. St. John’s
was scheduled to, for the first
time in its history, participate
in the “First Four” round in
Dayton, Ohio, where they faced
off against Pac-12 foe Arizona
State Wednesday night after
TimesLedger went to press.
“It’s about the university, the
team, the student body, our fan
base, and the people that support
us,” said Mullin. “Historically,
this is what St. John’s has always
been. To get back to that point,
I’m very happy for my players.”
The Johnnies lost five of their
last seven games, including a
disastrous exit to a Marquette
team they had beaten twice
previously this season in the
Big East Tournament. St. John’s
finished the season with the
seventh best conference record
in the Big East, nearly damaging
the March Madness hopes of a
squad that began the season 13-
0.
Junior guard and leading
scorer Shamorie Ponds
says this will fuel his team’s
underdog status.
“It definitely adds fuel to the
fire,” Ponds said. “We should go
They’re in! Despite slumping down the stretch of the regular season, St. John’s University’s men’s basketball team qualified for the
NCAA Tournament. See photos on Page 39. Courtesy of Red Storm Sports
in there with that mindset since
everyone wanted to count us out.
We have to prove everyone wrong
and play St. John’s basketball.”
Their reward was a matchup
with an Arizona State team that
finished second in what was
considered by many to be a weak
Pac-12 Conference in 2018-19.
The Sun Devils went
22-10 with a 12-6 record in
conference play.
For Ponds and company, this
tournament entry just means
another chance to show the
progress St. John’s basketball
have made under Mullin.
“I’m excited to go out
there and play,” Ponds said.
“This is what we work all
year for and we finally
have an opportunity to take
advantage of it. It’s a blessing.
As it was winding down, I
kept thinking, are we in? It
definitely felt good to get in.”
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