Rick Pitino cited a lack of playmaking as one of the main reasons St. John's fell 75-66 to Arkansas in the Round of 32.
"Offensively, we just did not share the basketball enough, and that was our demise," Pitino told reporters Saturday after the Red Storm's season-ending loss, according to CBS Sports.
St. John's tallied only five assists versus the Razorbacks. That was well below their season average of 16, which ranked 39th in the NCAA.
Kadary Richmond's 5.4 assists per contest was the fourth-best mark in the Big East, but he mustered only two dimes against Arkansas.
The Red Storm's inability to create for one another contributed to a 28% clip from the field. They missed 8-of-9 shots over the final 3:26.
RJ Luis Jr. was noticeably absent down the stretch as St. John's attempted to overcome a 13-point deficit. The reigning Big East Player of the Year was held to nine points on 3-of-17 shooting, including an 0-for-7 mark from deep.
Pitino alluded to Luis' rough showing as the reason his star remained on the bench during the closing stages.
"I'm not going to knock one of my players," Pitino said.
In response to a question about Luis being on the bench for a long stretch late in the game, Pitino added: "He played 30 minutes, and I went with other people. ... You already know why he didn't play."
