There is a world in which Rick Pitino and the St. John’s basketball team are putting the final touches on its preparation for a Final Four matchup in San Antonio this Saturday.
Instead, the Johnnies are already deep into the offseason and shaping its roster for next season.
However, had the Red Storm emerged victorious in the Round of 32 against Arkansas, Pitino said they would have won the National Championship.
“If we beat them, we will win the National Championship,” Pitino told his team the night before its matchup with the Razorbacks. “This is the most athletic team we will face, there’s a lot of great teams, but if we beat them, we will win it all.”
The footage was shown in the series finale of Pitino: Red Storm Rising on VICE TV.
Things did not fall in favor of St. John’s, losing 75-66, and becoming the center point for one of the biggest topics in the NCAA Tournament after Pitino benched Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis for the final 4:56 in a two-point game.
Luis finished with nine points and was just 3-of-17 from the field. Pitino defended his decision to put his superstar on the bench in the episode and said he wouldn’t have done anything different if given another opportunity.
“[Arkansas] was definitely the most athletic team we’ve played against, and aggressive too.,” Luis said in the episode. “The length that Arkansas had was second to none.”
While Rick Pitino did not shed much light on the draw the Red Storm received on Selection Sunday, he was very open with his team behind closed doors.
“There’s no doubt if you follow college hoops that we have the toughest bracket,” he explained.
“Kansas was preseason No. 1 in the nation and Arkansas probably has the most physical talent and size in the nation, but you don’t look ahead because you have to beat Omaha.”
St. John’s was able to roll by the Mavericks in the Round of 64, securing the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory since 2000, but its worst showing of the season was just 36 hours away.
The Razorbacks advanced to the Sweet 16 to play Texas Tech and blew a 13-point lead with 4:30 remaining in regulation as the Red Raiders forced overtime and eventually won by two, 85-83.
The shoe was on the other foot in the Elite 8 as Texas Tech blew a 9-point advantage with 3:45 to go against Florida as the Gators won, 84-79, and punched its ticket to the Final Four.
St. John’s was the only No. 2 seed not to advance to the Elite 8 this season, but all No. 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four for just the second time in tournament history. Perhaps the Johnnies would not be alive anymore to cut down the nets but it felt like there should have been more basketball for the Red Storm to play this season beyond the first weekend.