This St. John's loss is exactly what Rick Pitino needs for the long term

Rick Pitino of the St. John's Red Storm speaks with his team in the first half at Madison Square Garden, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in New York, NY.

If you subscribe to the well-worn aphorism of recent vintage that ball doesn’t lie — (sorry, the Sisters of Mercy and their grammar grimaces still won’t let me say it the other way) — then this electric, high-energy, hugely entertaining game resolved itself exactly as it should have.

Alabama walked into Madison Square Garden and won, 103-96 .

Access the St. John’s beat like never before

Get Zach Braziller’s text messages with all the latest St. John’s info and get your questions answered — exclusive to Sports+ subscribers. SIGN UP NOW

St. John’s stumbled out of the Garden with its first loss here since the 2024 Big East Tournament semif