No. 9 St. John’s Red Storm suffered its first loss since the calendar flipped to 2025, as the they were cut down by the Villanova Wildcats at Finneran Pavilion in Villanova on Wednesday night, 73-71. Making the evening worse for Red Storm fans was head coach Rick Pitino’s news about the injury status of senior guard Deivon Smith, who apparently is dealing with a neck issue.
According to Pitino, Smith is likely done for the rest of the 2024-25 college basketball season due to the injury that the player suffered during practice on Sunday.
Via Zach Braziller of the New York Post:
“I think he’s done for the regular season, in my opinion. We need to get him healthy,” Pitino said after the ninth-ranked Johnnies fell to Villanova, 73-71, at Finneran Pavilion. “The longer he stays out, the better it is for us. He’s not the same player he was a month ago and we got to get him healthy. He’s probably going to be out for a while. Definitely going to miss the Creighton game [on Sunday] and I’ll say the DePaul game.”
It appears that the Red Storm’s plan is to give Smith ample time to get his body as ready as possible for the Big East tournament and the Big Dance.
“If you bring him back too soon, you’re going to lose him for the [postseason],” Pitino added.
St. John’s Basketball to miss Deivon Smith due to injury
Smith also missed four straight games because of a shoulder injury he suffered during a Jan. 11 in over Villanova at home.
Smith, who transferred to the Red Storm from the Utah Utes, has been among the key contributors on the floor for St. John’s basketball this season, as he is averaging 9.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per outing. But he has struggled with his shot since he returned from the shoulder injury. Over his last three games, Smith scored just a total of 16 points on a salty 5-for-28 shooting from the field and 2-for-8 shooting from behind the arc.
The Red Storm has six more games left in the regular season, including this coming Sunday’s meeting with the Creighton Bluejays at Madison Square Garden in New York.
After the Creighton game, the Red Storm will take on the DePaul Blue Demons, UConn Huskies, Butler Bulldogs, Seton Hall Pirates and Marquette Golden Eagles.
The Red Storm still have a solid overall record of 21-4 with a 12-2 slate against Big East rivals.
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