Big East Basketball: Way-too-early 2019-20 preseason Power Rankings

By Brian Foley | Apr 9, 2019

VILLANOVA, PA - FEBRUARY 27: Collin Gillespie #2 of the Villanova Wildcats drives to the basket against Markus Howard #0 of the Marquette Golden Eagles in the first half at Finneran Pavilion on February 27, 2019 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

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DAYTON, OHIO – MARCH 20: Mustapha Heron #14 of the St. John’s Red Storm gets up after being fouled during the second half against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the First Four of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 20, 2019 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

9. St. John’s Red Storm

Last season: 21-13, 8-10 (11 seed NCAA tournament, First Four)
Key departures: G Shamorie Ponds (19.7 ppg), F Marvin Clark (10.5 ppg)
Key additions: F David Caraher, F Ian Steere, C Valdir Manuel, G Eli Wright
Recruiting Class (10th): none
2019-20 National Projection: 100th
Joker Says: “Do I really look like a guy with a plan?“

The Red Storm just cannot help themselves. In 2017-18, the notoriously fickle Red Storm lost 11 straight Big East games, and then promptly beat two top-five teams in the same week to jumpstart a four-game winning streak. Of course, they then finished the season by losing four of their final six contests.

Last year, St. John’s started 16-1 (which should’ve been 17-0), and finished the season with three wins against Marquette and Villanova. But no Red Storm conversation is complete without the other side of the coin; St. John’s somehow dropped four games against DePaul and Providence, and then essentially no-showed their First Four game with Arizona State.

St. John’s still has some intriguing talent next season, but with Marvin Clark graduating and Shamorie Ponds entering the NBA Draft, it’s hard to see the Johnnies qualifying for the NCAA tournament again, especially as they hunt for a new head coach. There’s a good chance that St. John’s new hire will be better than Chris Mullin, but the Red Storm still have to integrate another major ingredient to a program that was already adding four transfers while losing his best player.

Mustapha Heron, LJ Figueroa, and Justin Simon are not a trio to be trifled with, but this group has been too undisciplined over the years to earn the benefit of the doubt during such dramatic roster turnover. St. John’s is yet to make the tourney in consecutive campaigns this century.

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