Growing list of March Madness snubs are exactly the motivation St. John’s needs

The first snub came Sunday night. 

The next, Tuesday afternoon. 

If Rick Pitino and St. John’s needed any motivation, if the Big East’s first back-to-back outright regular-season and tournament champions had to look for extra ammunition, the selection committee and Associated Press voters gave it to them in spades.

The team that beat Connecticut twice, that has won 19 of its past 20 games, that has dropped just one game since Jan. 3, was sent packing to San Diego, given a No. 5 seed in the East Region. The selection committee listed them No. 18 on its overall seed list.