Skip to main content

Big East Basketball: St. John's, Providence among top teams in 2026-27 way-too-early power rankings

Mar 14, 2026; New York, NY, USA; SSt. John's Red Storm forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) hold the tournament’s most valuable player trophy following the men's Big East Conference Tournament Championship against the Connecticut Huskies at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Mar 14, 2026; New York, NY, USA; SSt. John's Red Storm forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) hold the tournament’s most valuable player trophy following the men's Big East Conference Tournament Championship against the Connecticut Huskies at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
10 of 11

2. St. John’s Red Storm

Likely departures

  • Zuby Ejiofor (16.3 ppg and 7.3 rpg)
  • Bryce Hopkins (13.6 ppg and 6.2 rpg)
  • Oziyah Sellers (10.3 ppg and 2.7 rpg)
  • Dillon Mitchell (8.3 ppg and 7.0 rpg)
  • Joson Sanon (7.9 ppg and 2.4 rpg)
  • Dylan Darling (6.9 ppg and 2.6 apg)

Likely returnees

  • Ruben Prey (4.3 ppg and 2.1 rpg)
  • Ian Jackson (9.4 ppg and 2.3 rpg)
  • Lefteris Liotopoulos (2.9 ppg and 0.9 rpg)

Roster additions

  • Donnie Freeman (16.5 ppg and 7.2 rpg at Syracuse)
  • Avery Brown (4.3 ppg and 2.0 rpg at Columbia)
  • Quinn Ellis (international guard prospect)
  • Lazar Stojkovic (international center prospect)
  • Babacar Sane (international forward prospect)

The Red Storm lost a ton of talent this offseason, but keeping Jackson, who was most likely to leave at some point, is a positive. Ellis is viewed as one of the best international prospects coming from overseas, and gives them a quality point guard to run the offense. 

Freeman is an all-league candidate coming over from Syracuse, and there's confidence that Coach Rick Pitino will keep St. John’s as a ranked contender. But after missing out on multiple transfer targets, there’s still work to solidify the roster to avoid falling down the pecking order.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations