St. John's coach Rick Pitino was not on the sidelines for Tuesday night's game at Seton Hall while recovering from COVID-19, the school announced before the contest.
Associate head coach Steve Masiello served as the Red Storm's interim head coach in the 80-65 loss.
Tuesday's game was crucial for both St. John's and Seton Hall. The Red Storm's four-game winning streak ended Saturday at Creighton, while Seton Hall has now won five in a row and eight of its last nine to move to the top of the Big East standings.
Both teams needed the win to increase their chances in the NCAA tournament. ESPN's Bracketology going into Tuesday showed St. John's (now 12-6) as the seventh seed and Seton Hall (now 13-5) as the ninth seed.
Pitino is in his first season at St. John's. The Hall of Fame coach was hired last spring after three seasons at Iona. He has won two national championships and has been to seven Final Fours.
