St. John's Defeats Xavier in Big East Clash

St. John's secured an 82-72 victory over Xavier, marking their eighth win in nine games, with Zuby Ejiofor and RJ Luis Jr. each recording double-doubles. The Red Storm outscored Xavier 54-30 in the paint and outrebounded them 50-30, despite struggling with 3-point shooting. Xavier, led by Zach Freemantle's 22 points, has now lost five of their last six games and faces a critical stretch against top Big East teams. St. John's defense limited Xavier to 22.2 percent from beyond the arc and 36.7 percent overall, setting the tone with aggressive play. This victory positions St. John's as a potential March Madness team under coach Rick Pitino, while Xavier's chances of making the NCAA Tournament look increasingly slim with an 18% probability according to TeamRankings.com.