If you listened closely enough on Tuesday night, you could hear the collective blood pressure of Queens, New York, drop significantly around 10:30 p.m. Eastern. Butler had a tough time against St. John’s.
Three days ago, the sky was falling. The St. John’s Red Storm had just collapsed against Providence at home, and head coach Rick Pitino was doing that thing he does painting a picture of a team with its back against the wall, daring them to punch their way out. The vibe around the program was somewhere between “cautiously optimistic” and “here we go again.”
But then Tuesday happened. Walking into the cathedral of Indiana basketball Hinkle Fieldhouse St. John’s didn’t just survive; they thrived. In a performance that was equal parts grit, grime and late-game glamour, the Johnnies dismantled Butler 84-70, securing a massive Quad 1 victory that feels like it saved the narrative of their season.
A Tale of Two Halves in Indianapolis
Let’s be honest: the first half wasn’t exactly a masterpiece of modern art. It was a dogfight, pun intended. St. John’s came out looking a little shell-shocked from the weekend, missing their first five shots. Bryce Hopkins, usually the engine of the offense, picked up two quick fouls and sat down early. Ian Jackson joined him on the bench with foul trouble of his own.
For a moment, it looked like the wheels might wobble. Butler, led by Finley Bizjack (21 points), was comfortable trading blows. But unlike the meltdown against Providence, the Red Storm didn’t fold. They went into the locker room knotted up at 42-42, thanks to a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Ruben Prey that felt like it shifted the tectonic plates of the game.
The Bench Mob Saves the Day
We need to talk about the “others.” Usually, when your stars are taped to the bench with foul trouble in a hostile road environment, you prepare for a blowout loss. Instead, St. John’s got a lifeline from the reserves.
Ruben Prey and Lefteris Liotopoulos didn’t just hold down the fort; they renovated it. The duo combined for 16 first-half points, keeping the Johnnies afloat when the ship started taking on water. Prey was everywhere blocking shots, hitting threes, and generally being a nuisance to the Butler game plan. Oziyah Sellers chipped in 10 points of his own.
This depth is exactly what Pitino has been preaching about. It wasn’t the Zuby Ejiofor show (though he was brilliant with 18 points and five boards), and it wasn’t a one-man army. It was a collective “not today” from the entire roster.
Bryce Hopkins Wakes Up and Chooses Violence
If the first half belonged to the bench, the second half belonged to Bryce Hopkins. After scoring just two points in the opening stanza, Hopkins decided it was winning time. He exploded for 15 points after the break, finishing with 17 on 7-of-12 shooting.
He hit a three-pointer to start the half, and you could practically see the confidence return to his body language. When Hopkins is rolling downhill and hitting shots from the wing, St. John’s transforms from a scrappy bubble team to a legitimate Big East problem. He led a surge that turned a tight game into a runaway, pushing the lead to 14 and forcing Butler into a timeout they couldn’t recover from.
Pitino’s Defensive Masterclass
The box score shows 84 points scored, but the real story was the 70 points allowed. St. John’s defense in the second half was suffocating. They held Butler to just 28 points after the break and forced the Bulldogs into 13 second-half turnovers (21 total for the game).
Pitino’s game plan was specific and ruthless: take away Michael Ajayi’s right hand. Ajayi, a great player, was limited to 14 points and looked uncomfortable all night.
“I told them all week, I don’t care what the outside noise says, you have to block it out,” Pitino said after the game. And they did. They blocked out the noise, they blocked out the Bulldogs, and they secured a win that tells the rest of the Big East: St. John’s isn’t going anywhere.
Final Score: St. John’s 84, Butler 70.
The Mood: Relieved.
Up Next: Creighton.
