24. St. John’s (5-1)
After a relatively uneventful start to the season, St. John’s really got things going this past week, but let’s not jump into the headlines. Rick Pitino and his squad have legitimate talent and weren’t ranked on some fluke. This team can cause damage even against the top-tier teams in the Big East this season and they proved their toughness this entire week.
Back on Sunday, the Red Storm had a strong performance in an 85-71 win over New Mexico, getting 21 points and 11 rebounds from RJ Luis Jr. in a game where all five starters scored in double figures. Next off to the Bahamas, St. John’s was barely edged 99-98 in double overtime by Baylor in a game where they shot the ball really well. Zuby Ejiofor had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the bitter loss. This team put their best foot forward the following day, winning 80-55 over Virginia to claim 3rd place in the Bahamas, with a game-leading 18-point effort from Luis leading the charge.
Despite this week containing their first loss of the season, we might be even higher on this St. John’s team. They handled two decent opponents by double-digits and played stupendous offense all week long. They were tantalizingly close to a win over the Bears that certainly would’ve propelled them up the charts, but they at least showed that the Red Storm means business this season. Sunday gives them one last Bahamas matchup against Georgia before heading home.