Exciting Season Ahead for St. John’s

St. John’s is gearing up for a much-anticipated season, and the pressure is on. For the first time since the 1991-92 season, the team is stepping onto the court ranked among the top 10 in the Associated Press poll.

Rick Pitino’s squad landed the fifth spot in Monday’s preseason poll, marking its highest preseason ranking in history. The last time St. John’s was included in the preseason rankings was in 1999-2000, and before that, their best ranking was seventh place ahead of the 1984-85 season, which saw them reach the Final Four.

In the Big East, St. John’s finds itself in good company, sitting behind Connecticut at fourth and ahead of Creighton, which is ranked 23rd. Interestingly, other non-conference schools also made the cut, like Kentucky (9th), Alabama (15th), and Iowa State (16th). On October 25, the Red Storm will be facing No. 7 Michigan in an exhibition game at Madison Square Garden, part of a record 13 games slated at that venue this season.

Purdue, Houston, and last year’s champion Florida are ranked as the top three teams, respectively.

This excitement is further emphasized by St. John’s recent successes. The team clinched the Big East regular season and postseason titles and finally snagged an NCAA Tournament championship for the first time since 2000.

As highlighted by 247Sports.com, Pitino has successfully brought in the top transfer portal class in the nation, featuring talents like Ian Jackson (North Carolina), Dillon Mitchell (Cincinnati), Ojiya Sellers (Stanford), Bryce Hopkins (Providence), and Joeson Sannon (Arizona State). This robust lineup, together with returning star Zuby Ejiofor, will face a tough non-conference schedule, raising the stakes even higher following last year’s remarkable performance.

Fans are undoubtedly keen to see how this newly assembled team fares in the coming games. There’s a lot riding on the major roster additions, along with the anticipation built from the preseason rankings.

Pitino himself seemed uncertain yet optimistic about the team’s potential when discussing the rankings after practice. He remarked, “Whatever the numbers are, just tell us.” He emphasized the uncertainty of outcomes, regardless of their previous performance. “Even if St. John’s were to start strong at 10-0, there’s no telling how we’d fare,” he noted, hinting at the importance of the upcoming games against Michigan and Alabama.