10. St. John’s (28-6)
Three days into January the Red Storm lost an early Big East game that put them at just 9-5 this season. Their latest disappointment after a tough first few moments soon vanish and they’ve been on quite a run ever since. St. John’s only loss moving forward was a blowout against UConn and they actually ended up winning the regular season crown for a second straight season.
Rick Pitino and company were ready for the Big East Tournament, starting with an 85-72 win over Providence in the quarterfinals, getting 21 points and 10 rebounds from Zuby Ejiofor. Things went smoothly enough Friday night, winning 78-68 against Seton Hall with 20 more points out of Ejiofor. Saturday’s title game felt very sweet to Pitino, with St. John’s triumphing 72-52 in a revenge game over UConn. Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins led the charge with 18 points apiece as they shut down the Huskies.
Some nights we don’t see St. John’s making their 3-pointers and other times the defense isn’t exactly elite, but this team has absolutely turned the corner in recent months and are a legitimate contender to watch in the NCAA Tournament. What they did to the Huskies on Saturday night was fantastic in every regard and this team knows how to win games when the offense isn’t firing on every cylinder.