St. Johns is ready for the March Madness 2025 pressure

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PROVIDENCE, R.I.— It has been 10 long years since St.

John’s last prepared for an evening like this, for an NCAA Tournament main draw game. You have to go back much further — 25 years — for the last time the Johnnies advanced in March Madness. Nobody on this St.John’s roster had been born by March 16, 2000, when the second-seeded Johnnies took down No.

15 Northern Arizona to move into the second round. For these players, this is also very new.Only Kadary Richmond, Zuby Ejiofor and Sadiku Ibine Ayo have played in a tournament game.

Thursday night, at Amica Mutual Pavilion, that changes. “As my freshman season went by, I figured out how hard winning actually is and how connected a team has to be,” senior Aaron Scott said as the second-seeded Red Storm prepared to meet No.15 Omaha of the Summit League in a West Region opening-round game.

“I’m here now, I got a lot of experience under my belt, so I’m ready for it.” Said sophomore Simeon Wilcher: “We grew up watching this tournament.We just have to bring it.” It has been a remarkable year for the Queens school.

The Johnnies won their first outright Big East regular-season title since 1985, which coach Rick Pitino called the first phase.They won their first Big East Tournament championship in 25 years, the second phase.

They have captured New York City’s attention, frequently filling up the Garden like decades ago. They are hoping for another first here to keep this dream season going in Phase 3. “I just hope they play like they played in Phases 1 and 2,” Pitino said. History is on their side.Only eleven No.

15 seeds have knocked off No.2 seeds in tournament history, the last one coming in 2023, when Princeton took down Arizona.

No.2s are 145-11 all time against No.

15s. Pitino did his best to talk up Omaha (22-12), a tradition of...