Rick Pitino defends benching RJ Luis Jr. in loss to Arkansas - ESPN

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — No. 2 St. John's was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by No. 10 Arkansas on Saturday, with its No. 1 player on the bench in crunch time.

When Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis Jr. hit two free throws with 4:56 remaining to pull St. John's within two points, coach Rick Pitino subbed him out of the game. Luis, who totaled a season-low seven points and was out of rhythm throughout, never returned.

Pitino was pressed by reporters on the decision, as Arkansas outscored his team 11-4 the rest of the way to record a 75-66 victory in front of a frenzied sellout crowd of 11,487 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.

Initially, Pitino referenced Luis having played 30 minutes, noting «that's a long time.» But when asked if he kept Luis on the bench because he was tired, Pitino said: «No. He played 30 minutes. I played other people. You're asking leading questions, so don't ask me any questions. You already know why he didn't play.»

There was tension in the Bill Reynolds media workroom. At one point, it was mentioned to Pitino that Luis had told a reporter he didn't believe he was a positive leader during the game. When asked his thoughts on what Luis said, Pitino didn't address it directly, instead referencing three other St. John's players for whom he had appreciation.

Then when asked if there was one play that led him to keeping Luis on the bench, Pitino shot back by referencing his shooting percentages.

«You know he was 3-for-17. You know he was 0-for-3 [from 3]. So you're answering our own [question],» he said. «I'm not going to knock one of my players.»

Luis entered Saturday averaging 18.5 points per game. His season low entering Saturday was an 8-point game against Creighton on Dec. 31 when he was 4-of-15 from