RJ Luis scored 23 of his St. John’s career-high 30 points after halftime as the Johnnies won for the ninth time in 10 games, beating Villanova, 80-68.

In a classic Big East rivalry against Villanova at Madison Square Garden, St. John's needed someone to go to after point guard Deivon Smith suffered a shoulder

St. John’s blew past Seton Hall early with a huge first half and then rolled to a 79-51 Big East victory at Prudential Center. The Storm’s win was its fifth in a row and 11th in 12 games. More important: their victory combined with Xavier’s win at No. 7 Marquette, puts St. John’s (16-3, 7-1) alone in first place in the Big East.