PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Omaha men’s basketball will play in the school’s first NCAA Tournament Thursday night in Providence, Rhode Island.
The 15-seed Mavericks (22-12, 13-3 Summit League) tip off at 8:45 p.m. CT with the No. 2 Red Storm of St. John’s (30-4, 18-2 Big East) in a game that will be televised nationally on CBS. The game will also be carried on 1290 AM KOIL with Gary Sharp on the call.
In their first foray into March Madness, the Mavericks will look for the biggest win in program history against a team many have picked to reach the Final Four.
The Mavs, coached by alumnus Chris Crutchfield, are soaking up every bit of the NCAA Tournament experience, and Crutchfield takes pride in having led his team to the biggest stage in college basketball.
“It’s an honor just to get to this point, and it’s even more special since it’s my school and I went to school here,” Crutchfield said. “The sense of pride and every emotion you could have, that’s what I’m feeling right now just because this is my first time being here and this is my school.”
The matchup of coaches couldn’t be more different. Crutchfield is in his first NCAA Tournament in year three of his first Division I coaching opportunity.
St. John’s is led by Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Pitino, who is in his second year leading the Red Storm and recently picked up his sixth league coach of the year honor and his fourth with a different team. Pitino has now led six teams to the NCAA tournament with 24 total appearances, posting the third-highest winning percentage in tournament history at .720 (54-21).
“Everywhere he’s been he’s done a great job,” Crutchfield said of Pitino. “Their team is 30-4. No matter what league you’re in, if you win 30 games, you’re a pretty good basketball team.”
Despite being the favorite, Pitino and his St. John’s staff are giving Omaha their full attention.
“Our respect for Omaha is off the charts. They can really, really play,” Pitino said. “There are certain teams I have seen sometimes in scouting that had a lot of weaknesses that you could exploit. I don’t see that with this basketball team.”
Numbers to Know
St. John’s has the nation’s best adjusted defensive efficiency rating in the country according to KenPom at 87.6. Omaha’s offensive efficiency rating is 97th (111.0).
The Red Storm have the 13th-best defensive steal percentage (21.9%), while the Mavericks rank 87th in the country in offensive turnovers (15.7%).
Omaha has been good at not turning the ball over via steals this season. The Mavericks have the 40th-best offensive steal percentage at 8.3%. The Johnnies’ defensive steal percentage is 20th in the country at 12.8.
The Red Storm defensively ranks ninth in blocks at 15.1% while Omaha doesn’t get their shots blocked often at 8.3%, good for 84th nationally.
Scouting St. John’s
The Red Storm is led by Big East Player of the Year and Tournament MVP RJ Luis Jr. The junior wing averages 18.4 points along with 7.2 rebounds, and he has 10 double-doubles on the season.
Fellow first-team All-Big East selection Zuby Ejiofor was second on the team in scoring with 14.6 points and paced the Red Storm with 8.0 rebounds per game, 57.8% shooting, and 1.4 blocks per game.
Second-team All-Big East selection Kadary Richmond averages 12.7 points and 6.4 rebounds and leads the team with 5.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game while recording the program;s only triple-double this year at Marquette on March 8.
Key Factors
St. John’s has a size advantage and Omaha will need to limit second-chance opportunities to stay in the game. The Red Storm is one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the nation at 37.3%, good for ninth in the country.
“We have our work cut out for us,” Crutchfield said. “They’re a very physical team, athletic. They defend you and they probably are one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country.”
A fast start for Omaha could help with confidence and maybe even shake the confidence of St. John’s. Omaha likes to play fast and score quickly. Finding some early transition baskets could keep the Mavericks in the game.
There will be some adversity for Omaha in this game. How the Mavs respond to that and keep St. John’s from going on a double-digit run to blow the game open will be key.
Every metric says that St. John’s is the better team and is going to win the game. Omaha has been the underdog before; the Mavericks were picked to finish second-to-last in the Summit League preseason polls. If they can harness that mentality, you never know what might happen. A 15 seed has beaten a two seed before in the NCAA Tournament.
Can Omaha play Cinderella tomorrow and upset No. 2 St. John’s?! #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/TB9unOE1hx
— Hurrdat Sports (@HurrdatSports) March 19, 2025
