Sweet 16: Calipari guides Arkansas past Pitino, St. John's 75-66 for 16th trip to regional semifinal
John Calipari is heading to the Sweet 16 for the 16th time3 DAYS AGO • ASSOCIATED PRESS
DEIVON SMITH
8.9 PPG •
4.6 RPG •
3.9 APG
8.9 PPG
4.6 RPG
3.9 APG
Deivon Smith gutting through shoulder injury during St. John's Big East Tournament run Deivon Smith is ready to play through the pain as long as this season lasts.
MARCH 14 • NYPOST.COM
Not part of starting lineup Smith is not part of the Red Storm's starting lineup for their quarterfinal game Thursday against Butler at New York City.
Impact Without an injured Smith to cap off the 2024-25 Red Storm's regular season, they added CJ Wilcher to their starting lineup. That will continue Thursday, a likely temporary demotion that may limit Smith's upside for then. After all and unsurprisingly, his reserve Big East stats are not as glamorous. Still, 5.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals averaged across five games are adequate enough stats.
MARCH 13 • ROTOWIRE
Available for quarterfinal game Smith (shoulder) is available for the Red Storm's quarterfinal game Thursday against Butler, according to Zach Braziller of the New York Post.
Impact Going into the 2025 Big East Tournament, Smith had been dealing with a shoulder injury that caused him to sit out the 2024-25 Red Storm's last regular-season game. After almost daily updates considering his shoulder, Braziller's update ends the saga, at least for now. This is an incredibly big deal for a Storm team seeded No. 1 in the Big East Tournament, and a lot of their success in it will likely have to depend on the all-around play of Smith. Currently, St. John's is on a six-game winning streak, with five of the wins seeing him average 11.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals.
MARCH 13 • ROTOWIRE
Deivon Smith questionable with shoulder injury for No. 6 St. John's
Point guard Deivon Smith’s status is uncertain for No. 6 St. John’s heading into the postseasonMARCH 13 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Practicing, remains a GTD Smith (shoulder) has practiced with the Johnnies the last two days but remains a game-time call for the Big East Tournament game on Thursday, Zach Braziller of the New York Post re...
Impact Smith was slated to practice on Tuesday, and he reportedly went through with that as well as a practice on Wednesday. The guard's status remains in question, however, after he missed the Johnnies' final regular season game against Marquette. Smith's return would be a big boost for St. John's when they play the winner of Butler and Providence.
MARCH 12 • ROTOWIRE
Pitino takes No. 6 St. John's into Big East Tournament with 1st top seed at MSG since 1986
Rick Pitino has already turned back the clock at St. John’s and restored a winning traditionMARCH 11 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Will practice with team Tuesday Smith (shoulder) will practice with St. John's on Tuesday, Roger Rubin of Newsday reports.
Impact Smith reportedly went through an individual workout on Monday, and will join the Johnnies for a team practice Tuesday before the team's first game in the Big East Tournament on March 13. Though there's no guarantee this means the guard will return come Thursday, it's clearly a good sign for the starting two guard.
MARCH 10 • ROTOWIRE
May be part of team practice Smith (shoulder) may be part of the Red Storm's team practice Monday, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
Impact Currently, the Red Storm's next practice is scheduled for Monday. Smith will try to be a participant then. According to their head coach Rick Pitino, should his injured senior get three good practices in before Thursday, they may use him then. As it stands, the 2025 Big East Tournament will have started at Madison Square Garden. Wednesday includes a Butler-Providence game, a first-round matchup whose winner will play the Red Storm on Thursday.
MARCH 10 • ROTOWIRE
No. 6 St. John's preps for March Madness with Pitino's 'favorite win of the season by far'
St. John’s coach Rick Pitino wanted his Red Storm to close the regular season with the kind of challenge they could expect to face in the NCAA TournamentMARCH 8 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Zuby Ejiofor's buzzer-beater in OT lifts No. 6 St. John's over No. 20 Marquette
Zuby Ejiofor hit a tie-breaking shot at the buzzer, and No. 6 St. John's beat No. 20 Marquette in overtime for its sixth consecutive victory...MARCH 8
Ejiofor's buzzer-beater in OT gives No. 6 St. John's an 86-84 win over No. 20 Marquette
Zuby Ejiofor hit a tiebreaking shot at the buzzer, Kadary Richmond got the first St. John’s triple-double this century and the sixth-ranked Red Storm beat No. 20 Marquette 86-84 in...MARCH 8 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Unavailable Saturday Smith (shoulder) will not appear in Saturday's game against Marquette, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reports.
Impact Smith has been dealing with a shoulder injury since the start of January that will force his absence from a fifth game when the Red Storm face off against the Golden Eagles this weekend. The 6-foot senior, who is averaging 9.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.7 steals on 28 minutes per game, will look to make his return during the Big East conference tournament.
MARCH 7 • ROTOWIRE
Deivon Smith's healthy return sparking St. John's jump that raises its ceiling Look no further than Smith’s return to health for this recent jump. The jet-quick lead guard is almost impossible to stay in front of.
FEBRUARY 24 • NYPOST.COM
Getting back in form Smith accumulated 18 points (7-17 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 1-1 FT), four rebounds, five assists, one block and two steals in 32 minutes during Wednesday's 82-58 victory over DePaul.
Impact Smith made his first start for St. John's since Jan. 11 and scored his most points since Dec. 28, as the Red Storm faced a soft matchup and were without leading scorer RJ Luis. It remains to be seen if Smith holds on to this role after Luis returns, but the good news is that one of the team's top transfers is available and producing after battling a neck injury for much of the calendar year.
FEBRUARY 20 • ROTOWIRE
Kadary Richmond, Deivon Smith more than make up for star's absence as St. John's crushes DePaul The two dynamic lead guards seem to be hitting their stride together.
FEBRUARY 20 • NYPOST.COM
Starting vs. DePaul Smith is included in the starting rotation for Wednesday's game against DePaul, Zach Braziller of the New York Post reports.
Impact Smith will be making his first start since Jan. 11 and his eleventh of the season. The senior guard has totaled 20.0 points and 9.0 rebounds across his last three outings, logging at least 25 minutes in each.
FEBRUARY 19 • ROTOWIRE
Back against Creighton Smith accumulated eight points (4-9 FG, 0-2 FT), two rebounds, three assists and one steal over 26 minutes during Sunday's 79-73 victory over Creighton.
Impact Smith has been in and out of the lineup with a nagging neck injury ever since the calendar turned to 2025. While his return is encouraging, it seems he may continue to see slightly limited run off the bench while he gets back into a groove. It's been tough to rely on him from a fantasy standpoint during the recent run, as Smith hasn't recorded double-digit scoring in over a month.
FEBRUARY 18 • ROTOWIRE
Available against Creighton Smith (neck) will be available for Sunday's matchup against Creighton, per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
Impact Smith will make his return to the lineup following a single-game absence with a neck injury. The 6-foot senior has been an impact player for St. John's this season, averaging 9.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game since transferring in from Utah in the off-season.
FEBRUARY 16 • ROTOWIRE
Warming up Sunday Smith (neck) is in uniform and warming up ahead of Sunday's matchup with Creighton, Roger Rubin of Newsday reports.
Impact It was reported earlier in the week that Smith could potentially miss the remainder of the season, but it now appears that the senior guard could be back in action Sunday. Smith's return would certainly give St. John's a boost down the stretch -- he averaged 9.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 20 games this year.
FEBRUARY 16 • ROTOWIRE
Could miss the remainder of season Smith (neck) is in danger of missing the rest of the season, Zach Braziller of the New York Post reports.
Impact "We have to get him healthy," head coach Rick Pitino said of his senior guard, who's missed four of the Johnnies' last eight games. Smith is now in danger of missing the remainder of the 2024-2025 campaign, which would be a big blow to St. John's back court depth.
FEBRUARY 12 • ROTOWIRE
Out for Johnnies Smith (neck) was spotted in street clothes and won't play against Villanova on Wednesday night, Roger Rubin of Newsday reports.
Impact Smith will be sidelined against the Wildcats after he returned from injury and played three straight games for St. John's. The do-it-all guard, who averages 9.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.8 steals, will get his next chance to play on Feb. 16 against Creighton.
FEBRUARY 12 • ROTOWIRE
Doubtful at Villanova Smith (neck) is doubtful for the Red Storm's game Wednesday at Villanova, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
Impact Smith doubtful for the Red Storm's upcoming game likely indicates their injured guard will be unavailable then. Yet, he is not out. Smith was doubtful for the Red Storm's mid-January game against Seton Hall at Newark but logged 17 minutes there.
FEBRUARY 12 • ROTOWIRE
Misses practice Monday Smith (neck) didn't practice on Monday, Zach Braziller of the New York Post reports.
Impact Smith reportedly "tweaked" his neck, and while that doesn't sound all that severe, it's still causing the guard to miss practice two days before St. John's clash with Villanova. That certainly throws his status into question, but Smith still has time to get himself ready to go Wednesday night. The guard recently missed time with a shoulder injury, but has played in the last three games for the Johnnies.
FEBRUARY 10 • ROTOWIRE
Tough shooting in return Smith notched three points (1-10 FG, 1-3 3Pt), three rebounds, six assists and three steals across 28 minutes during Saturday's 68-66 win over Providence.
Impact While Smith has seen far better scoring days, he still provided solid ancillary production in his return from a two-game absence due to a shoulder injury. The fifth-year senior hasn't started since Jan. 11, but his outlook remains positive even if a sixth-man role continues, as no other St. John's reserve logged more than five minutes in the contest.
FEBRUARY 2 • ROTOWIRE
