After being eliminated in the NCAA Tournament, St. John’s is looking for revenge next season.
With the addition of two major portals, Rick Pitino’s team now has 40/1 odds of winning the 2025 National Championship, cut in half from the original odds of 80/1.
St. John’s has the 16th-best odds, tied with Michigan State and fellow Big East team Creighton, ahead of Kentucky (35/1) and national title runner-up Purdue (30/1). It is only slightly higher than
UConn is tied with Canasas for favorite status at BetMGM, each at 10/1.
St. John’s big odds change is thanks to two key portal additions: Seton Hall star Kadarie Richmond and Utah guard Davon Smith.
Pitino called X “.”dream back coat” with the addition of veteran players.
This addition to an already strong roster of returning players should make St. John’s one of the top contenders in the Big East behind likely favorite and defending national champion, Connecticut.
If Caesars Sportsbook is any indication, St. John’s could be the No. 2 team in the conference. That’s because St. John’s has the best second odds of any team in the Big East to win the NCAA Tournament (50-1), with Creighton ahead at 60-1.
The market is 50/1 at BetMGM, giving them the fourth-best odds among Big East teams.
2025 NCAA College Basketball National Championship Odds
| team | odds |
|---|---|
| Kansas | 10/1 |
| university university | 10/1 |
| duke | 11/1 |
| houston | 16/1 |
| north carolina | 18/1 |
| Alabama | 18/1 |
| baylor | 20/1 |
| arizona | January 22nd |
| gonzaga | January 22nd |
| iowa | January 25th |
| Purdue | January 30th |
| auburn | January 30th |
| arkansas | January 30th |
| kentucky | 35/1 |
| tennessee | 35/1 |
| michigan | 40/1 |
| st john’s | 40/1 |
| clayton | 40/1 |
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Richmond was the No. 1 available player on the transfer rankings when he entered the portal in late April.
He had 21 points and 13 rebounds in Seton Hall’s NIT Championship Game win over Indiana State University.
St. John’s will be Richmond’s third team, and the big guard also spent one year at Syracuse during the 2020-21 season.


