Pitino Reacts to Providence–St. John’s Brawl with a Wry Take on Officiating
St. John’s defeated Providence 79-69 after a second-half brawl sparked by a hard foul on Bryce Hopkins; six players were ejected (Powell and Jaylin Sellers for Providence; Dillon Mitchell, Kelvin Odih, Ruben Prey, Sadiku Ibine Ayo for St. John’s) and officials took 19 minutes to clear the benches. Pitino joked about keeping comments brief and criticized the crowd’s objectivity while defending his team. The win improves St. John’s to 20-5 overall and 13-1 in the Big East, with upcoming games at Marquette and DePaul.