In a defensive slugfest, Zuby Ejiofor‘s 21 points and critical second-half plays propelled No. 18 St. John’s to a 72-65 win over Seton Hall, clinching at least a share of the Big East title and marking the program’s first consecutive regular-season championships in four decades.
St. John’s basketball capped a dominant Big East season with a hard-fought 72-65 victory over Seton Hall on Friday night, securing at least a share of the conference’s regular-season crown, a detail confirmed by AP College Basketball. The win moves the Red Storm to 25-6 overall and 18-2 in league play, putting them on the brink of an outright title depending on Saturday’s Marquette-UConn result.
Senior forward Zuby Ejiofor was the catalyst, scoring a team-high 21 points despite a critical foul trouble in the second half. After picking up his third foul with 17:03 remaining, Ejiofor sat for over eight minutes, but his return sparked a 65.2% shooting half for St. John’s, including 12 points from him down the stretch, a performance detailed in AP coverage.
When Ejiofor was sidelined, bench players Oziyah Sellers (nine second-half points) and Rubén Prey (eight points, three rebounds in 16 minutes) kept the Red Storm competitive, showcasing the depth that has defined Rick Pitino‘s squad all season.
This victory carries immense historical weight. St. John’s has now won consecutive regular-season Big East titles for the first time since the 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons under Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca, a milestone documented in Big East historical rankings. For a program steeped in tradition, this achievement signals a new era of sustained excellence under Pitino.
With the top seed in the Big East Tournament locked at Madison Square Garden, St. John’s will aim to cap their incredible season with a conference tournament championship. Their path to a potential NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed now looks clearer than ever, especially with Ejiofor a frontrunner for Big East Player of the Year, as noted in AP analysis.
Seton Hall, meanwhile, fell to 20-11 (10-10 Big East) and remains winless (0-6) this season against the conference’s top three teams—St. John’s, UConn, and Villanova. The Pirates will enter the Big East Tournament as the No. 4 seed, searching for answers against elite competition after this gritty loss.
Fan buzz is electric about St. John’s March Madness prospects. With Ejiofor‘s star power and the team’s balanced attack, many speculate they have the tools for a deep NCAA run. The blend of veteran leadership and young talent has analysts comparing this squad to Carnesecca’s great teams of the 1980s, fueling “what-if” scenarios about a national championship run.
As the Red Storm celebrate, the focus shifts to Saturday’s Marquette-UConn game. A Marquette victory would give St. John’s the outright regular-season title, adding another layer of hardware to this groundbreaking season and solidifying their status as a national powerhouse.
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