MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Darris Nichols scored a career-high 20 points and No. 25 West Virginia beat St. John's 73-46 on Saturday for its second ever 3-0 start in the Big East.
Frank Young added 12 points and Joe Alexander had 10 as the Mountaineers (13-1) won their eighth straight.
West Virginia, picked to finish 12th in its 11th season in the conference, has already beaten three teams picked higher in the preseason poll. The Mountaineers have trailed for just 2:24 in 120 minutes of Big East play and are holding opponents to less than 50 points per game.
West Virginia, which led 30-23 at halftime, used a 12-0 run to go up 49-30 with 12 minutes left.
Nichols made a 3-pointer and layup on consecutive possessions for a 61-38 lead with 5:12 remaining and St. John's never got closer than 21 points.
Lamont Hamilton had 15 points for the Red Storm (10-5, 1-1), who lost their sixth straight to the Mountaineers. Daryll Hill, who had averaged nearly 25 points in his last three games against West Virginia, was held to five.
The Red Storm, coming off a 65-53 win over DePaul in their Big East opener, lost for only the second time in 10 games.
West Virginia is off to its best start since the 1981-82 team started 24-1. The Mountaineers go on the road for six of the next eight, including games at No. 17 Notre Dame and No. 15 Marquette.
West Virginia's only other 3-0 start in Big East play came last season when the Mountaineers won their first eight league games but skidded to a third-place finish.
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