OMAHA, Neb. — Zuby Ejiofor wasn’t surprised by how well his backup, Ruben Prey, performed in Tuesday’s win over Butler.
He sees it every day in practice.
“He’s my main matchup,” Ejiofor said. “Ruben is a great player, an even better person. I get to witness those same things he brought to the game in practice.
“It’s a battle each and every day. He gets to guard me and I guard him. I feel like we complement each other and we make each other better each and every day.”
In the Butler game, coach Rick Pitino went to Ejiofor and Prey together for just the second time this year due to foul trouble.
The duo saw some action in the same lineup in a blowout of William & Mary on Nov. 15.
It worked out well against Butler, with Prey scoring 10 points and making an impact on the defensive end with two steals and a block in a season-high 18 minutes.
“With his 3-point shooting, he was able to stretch the floor. He hit two big 3s, especially the one to close the [first] half,” Ejiofor said. “He brings size, he brings length and physicality, a guy who can do it on both sides of the ball, just like I can as well.”
On Tuesday, Pitino said he could envision Prey and Ejiofor playing together more moving forward.
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With a win Saturday at Creighton, St. John’s will have started 4-1 in league play for the third consecutive year. Before Pitino’s arrival, that hadn’t happened since the 2000-01 season.
St. John’s is 1-13 all time in Omaha against Creighton. The Johnnies’ one win came Jan. 30, 2019 during the final year of the Chris Mullin coaching era.
Bryce Hopkins’ 17 points in the Butler win were his most since a victory over Baylor on Nov. 25. He scored a season-high 26 points that day.
