How Rick Pitino turned St. John's into a national title contender

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NEW YORK -- The crowd of UConn fans at Madison Square Garden was starting to get loud.

After jumping out to a 22-point lead against the two-time defending champions, St. John's looked to be giving it all away. In four minutes, the Huskies cut the lead to nine, forcing Rick Pitino to call a timeout.

But before the coach could get a word in, Zuby Ejiofor chimed in.

"We got in a huddle and Zuby said, 'Look, we've battled injuries. We don't wilt. We've been there before. We know what to do,'" Pitino said.

The Red Storm immediately pushed the lead back to double digits, where it would stay the rest of the game, cruising to an 89-75 win.

It was a far cry from what unfolded almost a…