After over a month straight of winning, No. 9 St. John’s lost their first game in 2025 to the 15-10 Villanova Wildcats, dropping their record to 21-4.
The red-hot Johnnies entered Finneran Pavilion as the best team in the Big East after wins over No. 18 Marquette and UConn in their previous two games, and Rick Pitino hoped to sweep the season series against the Wildcats and push their win streak to 11 games.
But Kyle Neptune’s duo of Eric Dixon (18 pts, 4 ast, 4 reb) and Wooga Poplar (22 pts, 6 ast, 4 rebs) erupted in the game’s opening minutes for a combined eight points.
Poplar also scored 22 against St. John’s in their last matchup, making him the bane of the Red Storm’s No. 2 ranked defense.
Aaron Scott (22 pts, 2 reb, 5-13 3-PT FG) kept up with Poplar and Dixon in the first half, hitting three three-pointers in the first seven minutes of playing time. After scoring less than 10 points in the last three games, a scoring night like this was needed for the senior wing.
In the last 10 minutes of the half, St. John’s crippling volatility was on full display as Pitino had to go to his bench unit. Without Deivon Smith due to a neck injury, Pitino experimented with a lineup featuring both Ruben Prey and Vince Iwuchukwu occupying the blocks.
The Wildcats secured a 10-point lead against this lineup with elite ball movement creating open looks for their shooters.
“It hurts a lot,” Scott said regarding Smith’s absence. “He’s a big piece, but we have to keep playing.”
With a depleted backcourt, Kadary Richmond (17 pts, 10 ast) played 39 minutes and controlled all playmaking responsibility for the Johnnies. In the full-court press, Richmond turned Villanova turnovers into St. John’s opportunities which cut the Wildcat lead to 34-32 at halftime.
Despite closing the gap the Johnnies played from behind for much of the second half, trailing by as much as 11.
Even when having a slower scoring night, RJ Luis Jr. (12 pts, 8 reb, 5-13 FG) was crucial in orchestrating a 14-0 run for the Johnnies. He scored six points in this run and a tip-in to give St. John’s a 62-59 lead, finishing another come-from-behind sequence.
Momentum turned back to the Wildcats as the nation’s leading scorer Eric Dixon sank two straight three-pointers to put the pressure on the Red Storm.
As the pendulum continued to swing from team to team, Simeon Wilcher drilled a three of his own with under 30 seconds remaining and the Johnnies led 71-70. But another dramatic three-pointer for Villanova with nine seconds left gave them a 73-71 lead.
For the game’s final possession, Pitino decided to take the ball out of Scott and Richmond’s hands in favor of Wilcher who missed the potential game-winning three-pointer.
“I knew it was off,” Wilcher said about his final shot. “It was a clean look, I just didn’t make it.”
A missed game-winner isn’t the reason behind the Johnnies’ loss, allowing over 70 points to an inferior team is Pitino’s main concern.
“This is one of the best shooting teams in the country and we were unable to stop their outside shot,” he remarked after the game.
The No. 9 Johnnies will have to regroup quickly as another dangerous Big East opponent comes to New York. The No. 24 Creighton Bluejays will face off against St. John’s in Madison Square Garden on Sunday at 3 p.m.
