"Suspension and fine in NBA & NFL": Fans baffled by wild gun celebration of college athlete at 2025 NCAA Tournament

The No. 2-seeded St. John's Red Storm began their 2025 NCAA Tournament with an 83-53 win over No. 15-seeded Omaha at Dunkin' Donuts Center on Thursday. However, an incident during the game, in which a St. John's bench player celebrated by lying on the court as a gun sniper, appeared to grab headlines.

Fans on social media spotted the footage of the player after Simeon Wilcher's 3-pointer extended the Red Storm's lead to 28-22 in the first half. Some expressed their surprise at the sniper celebration, and how it could lead to a suspension or a fine in the pro league.

"Suspension and fine in the NBA and NFL lol" one tweeted.

"Ur gettin suspended for this in the pros," another added.

"Dude will get fined in pros." a third commented.

A few others, however, appeared to enjoy the unique celebration from the St. John's bench player.

"FULL commitment to this celebration! You love to see it." a user wrote.

"This is hard idc," tweeted another.

"Hell yeah push the limits I like it! Actually the more I watch it the more acceptable it becomes!" another added.

St. John's RJ Luis Jr. led the scoring for his team with 22 points, along with eight rebounds and two assists. Simeon Wilcher added 13 points and two assists.

Meanwhile, JJ White scored a team-high 15 points for Omaha. Marquel Sutton chipped in with 11 points, but it wasn't enough for the Mavericks.

St. John's will face Arkansas in second round of 2025 NCAA Tournament

NCAA Tournament 2025: St. John's HC Rick Pitino - Source: Imagn

Rick Pitino's St. John's (31-4) will face John Calipari's No. 10-seeded Arkansas (21-13) in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Saturday. The game will tip off at 2:40 p.m. EDT from Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, Rhode Island.

The St. John's vs. Arkansas game will be broadcast live on CBS. Fans can also live stream it on Fubo or Paramount+.