PROVIDENCE, R.I. — St. John’s took out the trash.

Omaha never came close to its quirky postgame tradition of beating up a trash bin after victories.

Instead, it was the second-seeded Johnnies who were the ones celebrating Thursday night after their first NCAA Tournament victory in 25 years.

First-half nerves for this win-starved fan base turned into a stress-free final 15 minutes as this second-half team continued its dominance over opponents after halftime.

St. John’s scored 12 of the first 14 points after the break, and cruised past the No. 15 seed in this West Region first-round game, moving on with an 83-53 mauling that sets up a clash of coaching giants on Saturday afternoon at Amica Mutual Pavilion.

It was St. John’s largest margin of victory in an NCAA Tournament game.

“It’s the road to a national championship,” forward Zuby Ejiofor said. “We got one down. We got five to go.”

It will be Hall of Famers Rick Pitino against John Calipari once again, as St. John’s meets No. 10 Arkansas with a Sweet 16 bid on the line.

RJ Luis Jr. led the way in St. John’s 83-53 win against Omaha on March, 20, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

The two former Kentucky coaches have met 23 times in the college ranks, with Calipari holding a 13-10 edge.

“He doesn’t have to worry about me,” Pitino said jokingly. “My jump shot is long gone.”

The Johnnies (31-4) left no doubt after a shaky start, imposing their will.

At one point, they scored 30 of a possible 38 points, running Omaha off the floor.

Deivon Smith goes for a layup in St. John’s win. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

Fresh off being named the Big East Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, RJ Luis Jr. hit five 3-pointers and scored a team-high 22 points to go along with eight rebounds.

Simeon Wilcher chipped in 13 points, Ejiofor added 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks and Kadary Richmond notched 10 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

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St. John’s equaled a season high with 14 made 3-pointers in 37 attempts, which set a program NCAA Tournament record.

They manhandled Omaha (22-13) over the final 20 minutes, outscoring them 50-25.

Rick Pitino reacts on the bench during St. John’s first-round March Madness win. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

The Summit League school, one of the better 3-point shooting teams in the country, was just 5-of-36 from long range and shot 25.7 percent from the field.

“I’m not thrilled with the rebounding,” Pitino said after St. John’s allowed a whopping 24 offensive rebounds, which led to 18 Omaha second-chance points. “I’m thrilled with everything else.”

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St. John’s started the NCAA Tournament like the last two games of the Big East Tournament: shaky.

They missed their first five shots, found themselves down 7-0 immediately, and trailed 20-14 at one point.

RJ Luis Jr. dunks during the St. John’s win. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

There were obvious jitters, most of the Red Storm players on this stage for the first time.

Aaron Scott and Richmond were on the bench with two fouls each.

The bench helped bring the Johnnies back, contributing to a 16-2 run that settled them down. Deivon Smith scored five points in the spurt, providing a jolt.

Omaha had a chance to get even or lead going into the break, but turned the ball over.

Zuby Ejiofor celebrates during St. John’s win. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

On the other end, Smith found Vince Iwuchukwu, who scored inside and drew the foul, giving St. John’s a five-point halftime lead.

When the second half started, St. John’s picked up right where it left off from the Iwuchukwu 3-point play.

Luis hit a 3-pointer, Richmond scored inside and Scott sank a 3-pointer.

St. John’s fans react to the win in NYC. Michael Nagle

Luis threw down an alley-oop dunk in transition and the lead was up to a game-high 13 points, forcing a quick Omaha timeout.

“We came out very tight. This is [our] first time playing [in the NCAA Tournament], so I think it was a little bit of nerves,” Luis said. “But we cleaned it up in the second half and we got back to our identity, which is defense, and we brought up the pressure.”

The bloodletting was only beginning.

The lead grew to 28 after Smith found Richmond for a layup with a nifty behind-the-back pass. St. John’s was going to advance in March Madness for the first time in 9,135 days.

“I feel like every other game we play we’re breaking some drought, adding a little water to it,” Luis said. “Just to hear 40 years this, 25 years that, it just feels great to get it done and do it with these guys. We’ve been able to build our own legacy at St. John’s.”