St. John's Red Storm at Kentucky Wildcats
· CBS Sports Classic
Kentucky rallies in second half to beat St. John's 78-66 in first meeting against Pitino since 2016
St. John’s (7-4) had a 41-33 lead after Zuby Ejiofor converted a three-point play with 16:07 remaining. But Kentucky (8-4) turned up the defensive pressure and took control, ripping off a 14-0 run and holding the Red Storm without a field goal for nearly nine minutes.
When Oziyah Sellers finally put one in for St. John’s with 7:10 to go, the Wildcats had pushed out to a double-digit lead. It was Kentucky's most impressive performance in a sluggish season that knocked the powerhouse program out of The Associated Press Top 25.
Pitino, who coached at Kentucky for eight years and led the Wildcats to a 1996 national championship, faced his former school for the first time since 2016 — his final season of a successful but scandal-plagued tenure at Louisville.
The 73-year-old Hall of Famer also got a chance to go against Kentucky coach Mark Pope, who was a captain on Pitino's championship team in Lexington.
Quaintance, a touted transfer from Arizona State, made his Kentucky debut nine month after tearing a knee ligament. He looked full recovered, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
The pro-Kentucky crowd in Atlanta — dubbed “Cat-Lanta” for the Wildcats' long-time success in the city — erupted when Quaintance headed to the scorer's table five minutes into the game.
He drew another huge cheer when he banked in his first shot, and yet another when he swatted away a shot by Sellers. During the second-half surge, he scored off an offensive rebound to give the Wildcats' a lead they would not relinquish.
St. John's shot just 33% from the field (17 of 51). Bryce Hopkins led the Red Storm with 13 points.
Kentucky returns home to face Bellarmine on Tuesday.
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Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 66 - 78 |
| 2nd 0:00 | End of 2nd half | 66 - 78 |
| 2nd 0:03 | Ruben Prey subbing in for St. John's | 66 - 78 |
| 2nd 0:03 | Zuby Ejiofor subbing out for St. John's | 66 - 78 |
| 2nd 0:03 | Trent Noah subbing in for Kentucky | 66 - 78 |
Statistics
 SJU |
 UK |
|
|---|---|---|
| 17-51 | FG | 28-61 |
| 33 | Field Goal % | 46 |
| 5-19 | 3PT | 4-16 |
| 26 | Three Point % | 25 |
| 27-32 | FT | 18-22 |
| 84 | Free Throw % | 82 |
| 28 | Rebounds | 39 |
| 11 | Offensive Rebounds | 16 |
| 17 | Defensive Rebounds | 23 |
| 14 | Assists | 13 |
| 10 | Steals | 6 |
| 5 | Blocks | 7 |
| 12 | Turnovers | 16 |
| 1 | Team Turnovers | 1 |
| 12 | Total Turnovers | 16 |
| 2 | Technical Fouls | 2 |
| 2 | Total Technical Fouls | 2 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 23 | Points Off Turnovers | 15 |
| 2 | Fast Break Points | 13 |
| 20 | Points in Paint | 30 |
| 24 | Fouls | 25 |
| 10 | Largest Lead | 15 |
| 3 | Lead Changes | 3 |
| 53 | Percent Led | 39 |
Game Information
Location: Atlanta, GA
Attendance: 1 | Capacity:
2025-26 Big East Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| UConn | 10-0 | - | 20-1 |
| St. John's | 8-1 | 1.5 | 15-5 |
| Villanova | 6-3 | 3.5 | 15-5 |
| Creighton | 6-4 | 4 | 12-9 |
| Seton Hall | 4-5 | 5.5 | 14-6 |
| Butler | 4-5 | 5.5 | 13-7 |
| DePaul | 4-5 | 5.5 | 12-8 |
| Xavier | 3-6 | 6.5 | 11-9 |
| Marquette | 3-8 | 7.5 | 8-14 |
| Georgetown | 2-7 | 7.5 | 10-10 |
| Providence | 2-8 | 8 | 9-12 |
2025-26 Southeastern Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas A&M | 6-1 | - | 16-4 |
| Arkansas | 6-2 | 0.5 | 16-5 |
| Florida | 5-2 | 1 | 14-6 |
| Vanderbilt | 5-3 | 1.5 | 18-3 |
| Kentucky | 5-3 | 1.5 | 14-7 |
| Georgia | 4-3 | 2 | 16-4 |
| Alabama | 4-3 | 2 | 14-6 |
| Auburn | 4-3 | 2 | 13-7 |
| Missouri | 4-4 | 2.5 | 14-7 |
| Tennessee | 3-3 | 2.5 | 13-6 |
| Texas | 3-4 | 3 | 12-8 |
| Ole Miss | 3-4 | 3 | 11-9 |
| South Carolina | 2-5 | 4 | 11-9 |
| Mississippi State | 2-5 | 4 | 10-10 |
| LSU | 1-6 | 5 | 13-7 |
| Oklahoma | 1-7 | 5.5 | 11-10 |