St. John's Basketball's Sweet Season Ends On Bitter Note

The St. John's basketball program saw its 2010-11 season come to an end early Friday morning as the No. 6-seeded Red Storm (21-11) were "upset" by the No. 11 Gonzaga Bulldogs, 86-71, in a second-round NCAA Tournament contest in Denver, CO. I put the word upset in quotations because it was clear from the opening tip that the Zags (24-9) were the better TEAM. I put the word team in bold because the Johnnies had the better athletes on the floor, but the Bulldogs were flawless with their execution and game plan. I italicize execution because that was what happened to the Johnnies outstanding season, which featured six top-15 victories, a top-25 ranking (their first since 2000) and an invite to the NCAA Tournament (their first since '02).

"I said to the kids right after the game that while losing is heartbreaking and losing in the NCAA tournament is heartbreaking, when they get out a month, two, three months, a year, five years from now, they're going to look back and realize that they brought St. John's basketball back," said first-year head coach Steve Lavin. "I really wanted the team, the players, to be aware that while it doesn't take the sting away from this loss, they set the bar high for anyone that follows.."

It was difficult to see senior guard Dwight Hardy, who netted a game-best 26 points, end his collegiate career on a sour note, but that's an aspect of March Madness that fans and experts don't talk about much. Yes, the upsets and dramatic buzzer-beaters produce one heck of a show and bring such joy to the winners, but for the losers it's a whole different storyline. Only one team in the NCAA Tournament ends its season on a positive note, the rest are just trying to delay the pain of losing.

But for St. John's nation this is a different kind of pain. This is good pain that was earned. That type of pain that turns into pride, which turns into more success, then more pain, but one day a lot of satisfaction. The rest is best explained by SB Nation's Pico Dulce of Rumble In The Garden (St. John's basketball blog):

"Losing sucks. Getting carved up while the Johnnies' defense imitates a broken toy is even worse," wrote Dulce Friday morning. "But it's great to get to this point."

"St. John's fans are all happy for the season they got to enjoy despite this tough ending. Imagine - NCAA Tournament Thursday and we're still talking about St. John's?  The Red Storm are part of someone's busted bracket?  We can talk about "wait til next year" (hold off on that one, folks, that's a lot of youth coming in!!)?"

"This is a taste of success. And the bitter taste of an end of season defeat."

-- Want more Big East Conference coverage? Check out the SB Nation New York's special NCAA Tournament page. If you'd like a national scope, check out SB Nation's NCAA Tournament page.

NCAA Tournament 2011: St. John's Ends Season With 86-71 Loss To Gonzaga

Behind 53.8 percent shooting (28-of-52) and a dominant performance on the glass (42-20) the No. 11-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs upset the St. John's Red Storm, 86-71, in a second-round NCAA Tournament contest in Denver, CO Thursday night. The Bulldogs (24-9) will advance to the third round of the Southeast Region to play No. 3 BYU, which defeated No. 14 Wofford, 74-66, earlier on Thursday. The Johnnies finish their remarkable season 21-12 overall. Senior guard Dwight Hardy of St. John's netted a game-best 26 points in his collegiate finale.

St. John's, which couldn't overcome a 43-32 halftime disadvantage, was just outmatched inside by the 'Zags junior guard Marquise Carter, who tallied 26 points, six rebounds, six assists, and big-men junior center Robert Sacre and sophomore forward Elias Harris. Sacre finished the game with nine points and eight rebounds, while Harris tallied 15 points and eight rebounds. Overall, the Bulldogs shot 9-of-15 (60 percent) from behind the 3-point line, including four from senior guard Steven Gray and three from Harris and Carter.

Other St. John's players playing their final game were: Seniors Justin Brownlee (14 points), Paris Horne (11 points), Dele Coker, Sean Evans (four points), Justin Burrell (four rebounds) and Mailk Boothe (two points). Freshman forward Dwayne Polee scored 14 points.

NCAA Tournament 2011 Scores: Gonzaga Leads St. John's, 43-32, At Halftime

Sophomore forward Elias Harris has a team-best eight points for the No. 11-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs, who have taken a comfortable 43-32 halftime advantage over No. 6 St. John's Red Storm in a second-round NCAA Tournament contest in Denver, CO. The winner will advance to  the third round of the Southeast Region and play No. 3 BYU, who defeated No. 14 Wofford, 74-66, earlier in the day.

The Zags (24-9) have dominated the Red Storm (21-11) on the glass, 19-7. Junior center Robert Sacre has seven points and six rebounds for the Bulldogs, while teammate junior guard Marquise Carter also has seven points, four rebounds and four assists.

Senior guard Paris Horne has a team-best 10 points for St. John's, which had an early 10-5 advantage, but Gonzaga finished the first half shooting 15-of-26 (57.7 percent). The Johnnies shot 12-of-26 (46.2). Senior guard Dwight Hardy nine points. Junior forward Justin Brownlee has seven points.

NCAA Tournament 2011: No. 6 St. John's Red Storm Vs. No. 11 Gonzaga Bulldogs

As the clock strikes midnight early Friday morning, an anniversary will be celebrated by either the No. 6-seeded St. John's Red Storm (21-11) or No. 11 Gonzaga Bulldogs (24-9), who meet in Denver, CO. in the second round of the the 2011 NCAA Tournament Thursday night (9:50 p.m. on CBS). The winner, which will advance to player either No. 3 BYU or No. 14 Wofford in the Southeast Region's third round, is either going to be celebrating a 11-year period of mediocrity ending; or cheering for a repeat of history that spawned a decade-long period of success.

Don't remember March 18, 2000? Well, on that date the then No. 2-seeded Red Storm, who had just snuck past No. 15 Northern Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, advanced to the second round against a small, West Coast biased squad called Gonzaga University (seeded No. 10). Back then, the Bulldogs were simple known as John Stockton's college, but that all changed when the 'Zags upset the Johnnies, 82-76. The Bulldogs collected one more victory to advance to the Elite Eight, but their Cinderella-run came to an end after a loss to No. 6 Purdue Boilermakers.

From there, the two programs went in completely different directions. St. John's has appeared in just one NCAA Tournament ('02), while Gonzaga will be making their 13th straight appearance. The Johnnies have had four head  coaches (Mike Jervis, Kevin Clark, Norm Roberts, Steve Lavin), while the Bulldogs just needed one (Mark Few). St. John's vanished from national relevance, while Gonzaga has never left.

It's amazing what one victory can do for a program. And, the Johnnies are hoping a 2011 version of St. John's-Gonzaga turns the tides on the college basketball karma.

The Red Storm, led by All-Big East First Teamer, senior guard Dwight Hardy, have the leadership and the experience on the sidelines (Lavin made five Sweet 16s with the UCLA Bruins) to bring back positive postseason vibes to Queens, NY. However, Gonzaga has a solid big three in Robert Sacre (7-foot-0), Steve Gray (6-foot-7) and Elias Harris that could shutdown an undersized, but athletic Johnnies team.

-- For more on tonight's matchup visit SB Nation's Southeast Region coverage.