It’s still hard to fathom how bad the St. John’s basketball team was offensively in its 32-point loss against UConn on Wednesday night and the stats are mindboggling.
The Red Storm made two field goals in the entire second half. They missed 24 straight shots to end the game, which spanned 17:28. It is the longest streak of missed field goals by a Division I team to end a game and the longest streak of missed field goal attempts by a team ranked in the Associated Press poll in the last eight seasons.
For the game, the Johnnies shot 11-for-56 (19.6-percent).
It was the worst loss for St. John’s as a ranked team since 1960 and its 40 points were the fewest since scoring 40 in a loss against Notre Dame on March 5, 2013.
“One hundred percent it was on [the players] and it starts with me,” Zuby Ejiofor said after the 72-40 beatdown.
“To start the game, especially in the first half, it was as bad as I could’ve played on both sides of the ball. I tried to use my voice early on, but my play did not match anything I’m capable of doing.”
The game also marked the fewest points ever scored by Rick Pitino coached team. It was the Hall of Famer’s worst loss since a 33-point margin against Notre Dame during the 2008-09 season at Louisville.
However, that team had a happy ending. After its loss to the Irish, it wouldn’t lose again until the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals won the Big East Tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight, it’s something St. John’s is hoping to emulate.
“We did things that we’ve never done. And, again, that’s something I’ve got to question about myself, and I will question it because the team did not do the things we’ve done in the last 13 games,” Rick Pitino said.
“We’re still playing for a league championship. It doesn’t matter whether you lose by one [point] or 40 [points]. A league championship is still at stake.”
The turnaround will be fast for the Red Storm, who host Villanova at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night (8:00 p.m. ET, FOX).
If St. John’s and UConn win its remaining regular season games, the programs will be co-champions of the Big East, and the tiebreaker of a team’s record against the highest team in the regular season standings will be used to determine the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
If Creighton finishes higher than Providence, the Johnnies would be the No. 1 seed. If the Friars are to leap the Bluejays in the final two weeks, the Huskies would have the top seed.