The 2024–25 national title contenders suffered a devastating loss in their fifth game of the season. The Rick Pitino-led St. John’s Red Storm fell to the Iowa State Cyclones on November 24th, marking their second defeat of the year. But less than 24 hours later, the Johnnies bounced back stronger.

In a highly anticipated matchup between St. John and Baylor, the Red Storm took down the Bears 96–81. And admitting his team was “dejected,” but the players regrouped quickly and came out with a renewed edge, during a post-game interview with Autumn Johnson, Rick Pitino said:

“The guys were really ready to play. We left a dejected team losing that game last night. All the credit goes to Iowa State for playing a great game.”

In the game, St. John’s came out firing against Baylor, using the frustration from Monday’s one-point loss as fuel. The Red Storm jumped out to a 21-6 lead, led by Bryce Hopkins and Oziyah Sellers. Hopkins scored a game-high 26 points, going 3-for-3 from three-point range, while Sellers added 22, connecting on five of St. John’s 11 triples. Dillon Mitchell and Ian Jackson, on the other hand, provided a spark off the bench with 18 and 14 points, respectively, giving the team balanced scoring and depth.

Even though St. John’s was outrebounded 48-34, the Red Storm dominated in transition, outscoring Baylor 24-11 on fast-break points. Their defense held the Bears to a season-low 37.2% shooting from the field and 32% from beyond the arc. For Baylor, Cameron Carr led with 27 points, but the team couldn’t find rhythm as St. John’s maintained a 57.4% shooting performance, including 50% from three-point range.

According to Hopkins, the loss changed the team’s mindset overnight. “We had to do something about it. We woke up this morning, had a good walk-through, prepared for Baylor, and I feel like we did a great job today at sticking to the game plan for the most part,” he said post the game.

But their story is far from over yet, as the Red Storm are only in the early stages of the 2025-26 NCAA season.

What’s next for the Rick Pitino and the Red Storm?

The Red Storm will now turn their focus to the next stretch as they currently sit at 4-2 on the season, including a narrow loss to Alabama. However, they will look to build momentum with three upcoming matchups.

The team will first face Ole Miss on December 6, followed by Iona on December 12, and then DePaul on December 16. Bryce Hopkins continues to lead the way for his team with points in the games, averaging 15.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game.

The Red Storm will aim to climb the national ranks. However, one concern continues to follow St. John’s. It is the rebounding. The team’s struggles on the glass have been evident. And higher-ranked opponents will undoubtedly look to exploit that weakness, unless Rick Pitino finds answers to his problems quickly.