Painting an ugly picture: How St. John’s lost an early season basketball battle with Alabama

The bright lights of Madison Square Garden brought out the drama in a November matchup between Alabama and St. John’s on Saturday night. The pace of play proved too much for Rick Pitino and his veteran squad, however, as the Crimson Tide controlled the game and came away with a 103–96 win.

After the game, Pitino was quick to point out how the Red Storm came out on the short end.

“We lost this game at the defensive end,” Pitino said. “They (Alabama) were the better basketball team tonight.”

The Johnnies were bullied in the paint, couldn’t find their rhythm from three until it was too late, and failed to get enough production from prized transfers Dillon Mitchell and Joson Sanon, who combined for just eight shot attempts.

Alabama’s 103 points marked the first time St. John’s has surrendered 100 or more in a game under Pitino, and the first time a nonconference opponent has hit the century mark against the program since Niagara did it back in 2004. That alone showed how overwhelmed the Red Storm were defensively, especially in the paint.

Alabama bullied them inside for most of the game, controlling the glass and converting high-percentage looks at the rim. The Crimson Tide outscored St. John’s 54–40 in the paint and pulled down 14 offensive rebounds to the Johnnies’ 10, constantly creating second-chance opportunities. St. John’s simply couldn’t match Alabama’s physicality or stop dribble penetration, and that interior dominance set the tone for a long afternoon.

“You have to turn them over in order to beat them,” Pitino said. “And we couldn’t do it today.”

The dominant Alabama backcourt combined for 63 points, knocking down eight threes to stretch the floor and punish every defensive lapse. “We could not guard them off the dribble,” Pitino admitted.

One of the few bright spots for St. John’s was Zuby Ejiofor, who continued to bring energy and toughness, finishing with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks on 9-of-12 shooting in 28 minutes. Bryce Hopkins added 19 points and 4 rebounds in 28 minutes, attacking the rim and earning frequent trips to the line, where he went 9-for-13.

Offensively, the Red Storm didn’t do themselves many favors either. They struggled to shoot consistently from the perimeter, and even when they got decent looks, they couldn’t string together enough makes to keep pace with Alabama’s high-tempo scoring. The lack of reliable outside shooting limited their spacing and made it easier for Alabama to pack the paint and dictate the flow of the game from start to finish.

The good news: it’s Nov. 9, and the future Hall of Fame coach has plenty of time to get St. John’s back on track after a tough loss to the 15th-ranked team in the nation.