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St. John's' dream season has come to an end, as Duke ended the Red Storm's March Madness run on Friday night. Rick Pitino's team was in it until the final buzzer, and any number of decisions could have swung the outcome in St. John's' favor.
One of those hindsight choices might center around Pitino's utilization of reserve Ruben Prey. The Portuguese forward scored 12 points on 4-4 from three-point range, and had one memorable rejection of Cameron Boozer.
The issue for Red Storm loyalists and observers is that Prey's prodigious production came in 14 minutes in the first half. Pitino did not call on Prey at all in the second half as St. John's was locked into a back and forth battle with the Blue Devils down the stretch.
The Hall of Fame coach completely transformed the perception and confidence surrounding the Red Storm program, but some have taken issue with Pitino's decision to mothball Prey with the season on the line.
Pitino said after the game that St. John's needed to win the three-point line to beat a team like Duke, and they accomplished that thanks in large part to Prey's hot shooting. The Johnnies went 13/32 from deep, while the Blue Devils went 5-14 from long range.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: St. John's Basketball: Rick Pitino criticized for benching Ruben Prey
Continue reading...
One of those hindsight choices might center around Pitino's utilization of reserve Ruben Prey. The Portuguese forward scored 12 points on 4-4 from three-point range, and had one memorable rejection of Cameron Boozer.
The issue for Red Storm loyalists and observers is that Prey's prodigious production came in 14 minutes in the first half. Pitino did not call on Prey at all in the second half as St. John's was locked into a back and forth battle with the Blue Devils down the stretch.
The Hall of Fame coach completely transformed the perception and confidence surrounding the Red Storm program, but some have taken issue with Pitino's decision to mothball Prey with the season on the line.
Pitino said after the game that St. John's needed to win the three-point line to beat a team like Duke, and they accomplished that thanks in large part to Prey's hot shooting. The Johnnies went 13/32 from deep, while the Blue Devils went 5-14 from long range.
Contact/Follow @College_Wire on X and @College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: St. John's Basketball: Rick Pitino criticized for benching Ruben Prey
Continue reading...
