The St. John’s Red Storm have been on a tear lately. They stretched their run to 11 games with a win in their latest game against the Providence Friars. However, the dramatic ending to the game had head coach Rick Pitino making a brutal claim about the conference.

Bryce Hopkins, who was returning to Providence after spending three prior seasons with the Friars, went up for a layup in a fast-break possession. But Providence forward Duncan Powell committed a hard foul that sent him to the floor. This led to a huge kerfuffle and resulted in four St. John’s players and two Providence stars being ejected from the game.

While St. John’s ultimately found their way to victory, Head Coach Rick Pitino was unhappy at what transpired. Pitino, however, did not seem optimistic when asked post-game what he expects to happen as the Big East is likely to investigate the incident, with the potential of harsher punishments to the people involved.

Pitino said, ” I don’t care. I am not happy with a lot of things. But that’s not my call.”

The scuffle started as a result of Duncan Powell’s hard foul on Bryce Hopkins. But it was St. John’s who came out of it the worse of the two sides. The officials chose to eject four St. John’s stars compared to Providence’s two. This meant Rick Pitino was left without most of his rotational players, with almost 15 minutes of play remaining.

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Rick Pitino has been voicing his concerns over the officiating standards within the Big East.

The mass ejections left St. John’s severely shorthanded, forcing Pitino to rely on his bench. Guard Dylan Darling, in particular, rose to the occasion to lead the team

Dylan Darling comes to Rick Pitino’s rescue against Providence

The St. John’s Red Storm started hot in Providence, justifying their tag as pre-game favorites. However, Providence mounted a comeback, even leading the game at one stage. However, with the score reading 40-39 in the home side’s favor, Duncan Powell’s hard foul changed the game.

The 6 ejections featured four St. John’s players, including star senior Dillon Mitchell and three rotational players. With the frontcourt weakened heavily, Rick Pitino had to rely on his guards to pull the game in their favor. And it was Dylan Darling who stepped up during the adversity.

Dylan took advantage of the tensions that flared and used the situation to go to the line often, converting 8 of his 9 free throw attempts. The junior guard shot 54.5% from the field, racking up 23 points in just 27 minutes on the court.

Dylan Darling has seen his role within the St. John’s setup increase of late, playing an average of over 27 minutes in the last 3 games. With March Madness approaching, the coach needs more from his rotational players.

The win means the St. John’s Red Storm are now 20-5 for the season after starting the season with 4 losses in their first 11 games. They are now only half-game behind the UConn Huskies in the Big East after beating Dan Hurley’s side recently. Their upcoming match against UConn, towards the end of February, could prove to be a showdown within the conference before we head into March Madness.