The Red Storm opened the Big East Tournament by cruising to a 78-57 victory over No. 9 seed Butler at Madison Square Garden. Next up for St. John’s (28-4) will be the winner of the Xavier-Marquette game later in the afternoon session. Butler’s season ended with a 13-19 record.

UConn and Syracuse have made magical runs as No. 9 seeds to Big East tournament champs. Will Cinderella's slipper fit Butler, too?

Using balanced scoring and tenacious defense, St. John's rolled into the Big East Tournament semifinals with a 78-57 win over Butler on Thursday.