One week ago, St. John’s struggled against mid-major opponent Towson but found a way to secure a win. Saturday night, however, they fell short in a 96-94 overtime setback to Michigan at the Garden. Despite the loss, there were encouraging signs in the Johnnies’ fight, their ability to rally from deficits, and the overall play of their frontcourt.
“I saw a lot of really good things,” coach Rick Pitino said afterward. “But I think the weakness is just eight new guys [getting used to] playing together. Great game, great game.”
The entertaining exhibition featured two preseason Top 10 teams, each boasting some of the nation’s best forwards: Zuby Ejiofor for St. John’s and Yaxel Lendeborg for Michigan. Both forwards performed well, combining for 49 points. St. John’s forwards Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell also had strong moments, each contributing 13 points. Point guard Dylan Darling (seven points, two assists) rebounded from a shaky outing against Towson.
Ultimately, Michigan proved superior on the glass, outrebounding St. John’s by 12 boards. The Wolverines also shot an efficient 52.2 percent from the field compared to 39.7 percent for the Johnnies. Pitino emphasized the need for his guards to improve their rebounding and defense while praising the active play of his frontcourt.
It didn’t help that starting guards Oziyah Sellers and Joson Sanon (14 points) both fouled out, limiting their minutes. Michigan coach Dusty May believed this was a key factor in the outcome.
The Red Storm trailed by eight early in overtime before sophomore Lefteris Liotopoulos caught fire, scoring eight consecutive points. He had a chance to give St. John’s the lead with 8.4 seconds left but missed two of three free throws.
Pitino and Ejiofor expressed concern over being outrebounded in both exhibition games and acknowledged that the many new players aren’t yet fully cohesive. While the defense forced 22 turnovers, it allowed 54 points in the paint to the mammoth Wolverines, who feature two seven-footers, Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara.
“We’re trying to get back to that defensive mindset we had last year,” said Ejiofor, who finished with 24 points, six rebounds, six assists, and three steals. “It’s going to take time, but we’re going to figure it out.
“There’s no excuses. Winning is the standard that we’re trying to build here at St. John’s. Everybody came here to win, all the transfers came here to win. Just be better and learn from it.”
Pitino repeatedly praised the experience of facing an elite opponent at the Garden for the lessons it provided. The Hall of Fame coach intentionally scheduled a difficult nonconference slate to better prepare St. John’s for the challenges ahead.
“We’ll be ready for Quinnipiac. I don’t know if we’re ready for Alabama or Kentucky, Ole Miss, and the Las Vegas trip,” Pitino said. “But we’ll get it done. A lot of people are in the same boat we’re in with new players. I set the schedule tough because I need to know [where we have to get better].
“If we played a [lesser] team and won easily, we wouldn’t know what our weaknesses are. So I wanted to find out, and I found out tonight what our weaknesses are. It’s a great teaching tool.”
https://nypost.com/2025/10/26/sports/rick-pitino-stressing-positives-from-st-johns-preseason-loss-to-michigan/
