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St. John’s Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Red Storm

By Brad Cavallaro

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 7: Shamorie Ponds #2 of the St. John's Red Storm dribbles the ball against the Villanova Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Center on February 7, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 7: Shamorie Ponds #2 of the St. John's Red Storm dribbles the ball against the Villanova Wildcats at the Wells Fargo Center on February 7, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 24: Sedee Keita #24 of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts from the bench against the Baylor Bears in the first half during the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament East Regional at Madison Square Garden on March 24, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 24: Sedee Keita #24 of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts from the bench against the Baylor Bears in the first half during the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament East Regional at Madison Square Garden on March 24, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Non-Conference Breakdown

St. John’s has assembled a very uninspiring non-conference schedule and it would be a major disappointment if they do not enter Big East play undefeated.

Rutgers, Road, November 16th

St. John’s first challenge comes in the annual Gavitt Games when they play at Rutgers. To be honest, the Red Storm got screwed by having to play Rutgers. The event schedulers are essentially saying that they think St. John’s will finish at the bottom of the Big East since they are paired with the perennial last-place Big Ten team. Rutgers has improved immensely over the past few seasons with Steve Pikiell at the helm, but they will be fortunate to crack the top 100. The Red Storm should be more appropriately matched with a potential NCAA Tournament squad, but this game is far from a sure victory as road games are always difficult.

California, Neutral, November 19th

The Red Storm also received a bad draw in their in-season tournament as Cal is in the midst of a sizable rebuild. The Golden Bears were one of the worst Power 6 teams last season, but return some key pieces and add Boise State transfer Paris Austin. Austin and Darius McNeil form a solid future backcourt, but it will be difficult to replace their best player, Marcus Lee, who exhausted his eligibility. Expect Cal to finish in the bottom two of the Pac-12 as they continue to gain experience and stockpile talent. This is a must-win game for the Red Storm because it would be a horrible loss and it gives them a chance to play a better team the next day.

Temple/VCU, Neutral, November 20th

While Temple and VCU are not projected NCAA Tournament teams, they are a significant step up in competition from Cal. Facing either team on a neutral court would likely signify a Quadrant Two game which could be important in March. Temple had an unbelievable slide to end last season after starting extremely well, but they return the best backcourt in the AAC with Levan Alston and Quinton Rose. The Owls look like an NIT-caliber team, but the AAC is completely wide open.

In terms of VCU, their success is completely dependent on the health of PG Marcus Evans. If he is healthy a top 4 A-10 finish and an NIT berth are on the table, but if he is not fully healthy, they could tumble to the 9th-11th range in the conference. St. John’s fans should hope he’s healthy so the game boosts their at-large resume.

Georgia Tech, Neutral, December 1st

Georgia Tech has a promising future backcourt in place with Mike DeVoe and Jose Alvarado, but their overall team outlook for this season generates much less optimism. The Yellow Jackets suffered a crushing blow when Josh Okogie left early for the NBA and this loss combined with the graduation of Ben Lammers is too much to overcome. Georgia Tech should finish in the 12-15 range of the ACC, the clear bottom tier.

Duke, Road, February 2nd

Duke is the only projected NCAA Tournament team on St. John’s non-conference schedule and the game takes place in February, well after most non-conference games have been completed. The Blue Devils lose all five starters but enroll 4 five-star freshmen. Three of these elite freshmen are considered potential top 5 NBA Draft picks (Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Cameron Reddish). Expect Duke to finish in the top-tier of the ACC and make a push for a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament.