MBB Minute: St. John's closed out the 2025-26 regular season with a win at Seton Hall, earning at least a share of the BIG EAST regular season title and the top seed in next week's BIG EAST Tournament presented by JEEP.
St. John's 72,
Seton Hall 65 -
Box Score
- Zuby Ejiofor led all scorers with 21 points as No. 18/17 St. John's earned at least a share of the BIG EAST regular season title and the top seed in next week's BIG EAST Tournament presented by JEEP at Madison Square Garden
- It marks the first time since 1984-85 and 1985-86 that the Red Storm have captured the conference's regular season crown in consecutive seasons.
- The Red Storm shot 65.2% (15-23) over the final 20 minutes of play, making 5-of-9 from beyond the arc, en route to their 18th win in BIG EAST play.
- A 12-2 run midway through the second half - capped by an Oziyah Sellers 3-pointer - gave the Johnnies an 11-point lead (62-51) with 4:07 to go. It was SJU's largest lead of the game.
- Seton Hall would battle back, getting within three (68-65) with 20 ticks left. SJU would score the final four points of the game.
- SJU opened up a seven-point advantage (14-7) less than six minutes into the game, before a 13-5 Pirate push gave them a 22-21 lead with 5:35 left in the first half.
- There were three lead changes and two ties down the stretch before the Red Storm took a 30-27 lead into the break.
- Sellers and Bryce Hopkins each had 11 points for St. John's. Dillon Mitchell finished with seven assists and seven boards, while Dylan Darling had nine points and five assists.
- Budd Clark led Seton Hall with 15 points, while AJ Staton-McCray and Najai Hines each tallied 11. Mike Williams III grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.
Of Note:
- St. John's registered an 18-2 mark in BIG EAST play for the second straight season. It is the third time a BIG EAST school logged 18 wins in conference play (St. John's - 2025-26, 2024-25; UConn - 2023-24).
- A second half 3-pointer put SJU's Oziyah Sellers over the 1,000 point mark for his collegiate career.
- Seton Hall will enter next week's BIG EAST Tournament as the No. 4 seed.
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Today's Action: The BIG EAST regular season comes to a close tomorrow. Saturday features three early afternoon tilts, beginning with Xavier at Villanova (TNT; HBO Max) and Butler at DePaul (FS1), both tipping off at noon ET. UConn plays at Marquette at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX, while the regular season wraps at 8 p.m. ET as Providence heads to Georgetown.
Saturday, March 7
TNT; HBO Max
Xavier at
Villanova - Noon ET
Brian Anderson (pxp); Grant Hill (analyst); Andy Katz (reporter)
FS1
Butler at
DePaul - Noon ET
Jason Ross Jr. (pxp); Jordan Taylor (analyst)
FOX
UConn at
Marquette - 12:30 p.m. ET
Tim Brando (pxp); Donny Marshall (analyst)
truTV; HBO Max
Providence at
Georgetown - 8 p.m. ET
J.B. Long (pxp); Chris Spatola (analyst); Jared Greenberg (reporter)
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This Week in the BIG EAST Podcast: BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman, UConn head coach Dan Hurley, and NBC Sports/Peacock analyst and former BIG EAST standout Jordan Cornette are the guests on the 10th episode of This Week in the BIG EAST. Now in its 12th season, This Week In The BIG EAST (#TWITBE) is distributed by Westwood One radio and is available wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
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BIG EAST Men's Basketball Public Availability Reports: Beginning in 2025-26, the BIG EAST Conference will provide public reports on the availability of student-athletes in conference games in the sports of men's and women's basketball.
Men's Basketball Availability Report
BIG EAST schools will be required to submit availability reports three hours before the scheduled tipoff time. Under the reporting structure, players will be designated as "questionable" or "out." Availability reports will be posted on the BIG EAST website throughout the 2025-26 season.