St. John's coach Rick Pitino was not on the sideline 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 acting head coach in the 80-65 loss.
Tuesday's game was a crucial tilt for both St. John's and Seton Hall. The Red Storm's four-game winning streak ended Saturday at Creighton, while Seton Hall now has won five in a row and eight of its past nine to move atop the Big East standings.
Both teams needed the win to help boost their NCAA tournament chances. ESPN's Bracketology entering Tuesday showed St. John's (now 12-6) as a 7-seed and Seton Hall (now 13-5) as a 9-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 been to seven Final Fours.
