No. 7 St. John’s tops Butler 76-70 to clinch share of 1st Big East regular-season title in 33 years

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St. John’s guard Deivon Smith (5) shoots the ball in front of Butler forward Boden Kapke (33) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Indianapolis, Ind. (AP Photo/Marc Lebryk)

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St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino yells at his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Indianapolis, Ind. (AP Photo/Marc Lebryk)

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St. John’s guard Kadary Richmond (1) shoots the ball in front of Butler forward Boden Kapke (33) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Indianapolis, Ind. (AP Photo/Marc Lebryk)

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St. John’s guard Simeon Wilcher (7) shoots the ball over Butler ath Dante Maddox Jr. (21) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Indianapolis, Ind. (AP Photo/Marc Lebryk)

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St. John’s guard Kadary Richmond (1) shoots the ball over Butler forward Jahmyl Telfort (11) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Indianapolis, Ind. (AP Photo/Marc Lebryk)

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Butler center Andre Screen (23) jumps up for a rebound in front of St. John’s guard RJ Luis Jr. and guard Aaron Scott during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Indianapolis, Ind. (AP Photo/Marc Lebryk)

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St. John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) reaches for a ball that is against the rim in front of Butler center Andre Screen (23) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Indianapolis, Ind. (AP Photo/Marc Lebryk)

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Butler head coach Thad Matta high-fives forward Pierre Brooks II during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Indianapolis, Ind. (AP Photo/Marc Lebryk)

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Butler forward Patrick McCaffery (22) shoots the ball over St. John’s guard RJ Luis Jr. during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Indianapolis, Ind. (AP Photo/Marc Lebryk)

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St. John’s guard Kadary Richmond (1) blocks a shot by Butler forward Jahmyl Telfort (11) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Indianapolis, Ind. (AP Photo/Marc Lebryk)

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Butler guard Kolby King (12) looks to get the ball down court around St. John’s forward Sadiku Ibine Ayo (2)during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Indianapolis, Ind. (AP Photo/Marc Lebryk)

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Butler guard Kolby King (12) dribbles the ball down court against St. John’s guard Deivon Smith (5) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Indianapolis, Ind. (AP Photo/Marc Lebryk)

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Butler ath Dante Maddox Jr. (21) knocks a rebound away from St. John’s center Vince Iwuchukwu during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Indianapolis, Ind. (AP Photo/Marc Lebryk)

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Butler forward Jahmyl Telfort reaches for a ball with St. John’s guard RJ Luis Jr. during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Indianapolis, Ind. (AP Photo/Marc Lebryk)

By CHRIS GOFF

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — RJ Luis Jr. scored 24 points and No. 7 St. John’s clinched a share of its first Big East regular-season title in 33 years by beating Butler 76-70 on Wednesday night.

Kadary Richmond had 13 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Red Storm (25-4, 16-2), who set a school record for conference wins and secured the program’s sixth Big East regular-season championship.

They can wrap up an outright league crown Saturday with a victory over Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden or a Creighton loss at Xavier. The only outright Big East regular-season title for St. John’s came in 1985 on the way to a Final Four appearance.

“We are not interested in sharing anything,” said 72-year-old Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino, who has led a remarkable turnaround in two seasons at St. John’s. “I’ll share other things in my life. I’m not interested in sharing championships.”

Zuby Ejiofor added 12 points for the Johnnies, playing with their highest ranking in the AP Top 25 poll since December 1991. St. John’s tied Georgetown and Seton Hall for the Big East crown that season — the final one in Queens for coaching great Lou Carnesecca, who died Nov. 30 just a few weeks shy of his 100th birthday.

Jahmyl Telfort had 13 points and seven rebounds for Butler (13-15, 6-11), held to 39% shooting.

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Kentucky’s Oweh has the last word in career-best performance against Oklahoma, his former team

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Takeaways

St. John’s: On a night when the Red Storm struggled to create separation, they still showed their postseason potential by applying their customary defensive pressure. Butler shot 6 for 27 from 3-point range.

Butler: Has lost the last five meetings with St. John’s.

Key moment

With the majority of the Hinkle Fieldhouse crowd on its feet, Ejiofor posted up 7-foot-1 Butler center Andre Screen and scored on a left-handed hook shot to extend the St. John’s lead to 70-66 with 59 seconds remaining. When the Bulldogs turned the ball over on their ensuing possession and committed a foul, fans began streaming toward the exits.

Key stat

Butler held a 39-32 edge on the boards but was still outscored 18-12 in second-chance points.

Up next

St. John’s hosts Seton Hall on Saturday, while Butler visits Villanova.

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