Rick Pitino Sends Message to St. John's Seniors After Team's Early Tournament Loss

"We will always cherish our time together."

St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino speaks on Mar 19, 2025. / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The St. John's Red Storm were expected to make it quite far in this year's men's NCAA tournament, but the Arkansas Razorbacks and head coach John Calipari had other plans.

In a huge upset win, the No. 10 Razorbacks took down the No. 2 Red Storm in a 75–66 victory on Saturday afternoon, prematurely ending St. John's fairytale season and adding yet another chapter to Calipari and SJU head coach Rick Pitino's decades-long history.

Pitino handled things relatively calmly after the game, saluting Arkansas for their efforts while admitting his guys didn't play how they needed to down the stretch. He also shouted out three of his team's seniors— Aaron Scott, Kadary Richmond and Deivon Smith—for their commitment and work under his leadership.

The storied head coach later reiterated that message with a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.

"Thank you seniors," Pitino wrote online. "Losing always hurts, but you played with torn ligaments, sprained shoulders, pulled groins and you gave us a magical run. We will always cherish our time together."

Thank you seniors. Losing always hurts, but you played with torn ligaments, sprained shoulders, pulled groins and you gave us a magical run. We will always cherish our time together.

— Rick Pitino (@RealPitino) March 23, 2025

Though St. John's (31–5) had looked excellent all season, Saturday's contest vs. Arkansas was not their best. Neither team excelled scoring-wise, but the Red Storm were particularly off their game, shooting just 28% from the field.

Arkansas now moves on to the Sweet 16, where they will play Texas Tech on Thursday, March 27.

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