12. St. John’s (2-1)
Last season saw Rick Pitino and his talented group take the Big East and the nation by storm, but the season fizzled out due to an upset in the second round of the Big Dance. This year St. John’s has even more talent on the roster but were already handed their first loss of the season in that shootout last weekend against Alabama. There are other opportunities to build that resume before conference play but this week did not provide those.
Our only chance to see the Red Storm didn’t come until Saturday and it was still something of a laugher, as St. John’s won 93-60 over William & Mary. Despite a poor day shooting outside the arc, the Red Storm surviving against a solid mid-major program, with five players scoring in double figures. Bryce Hopkins had 15 points while Dylan Darling and Oziyah Sellers added 13 apiece against the Tribe.
Time will tell just what this team can do and one outing against the Crimson Tide isn’t going to change much about their potential. It’s only a matter of time before the Red Storm get Dillon Mitchell, Ian Jackson, and Joson Sanon involved at a high level as well as they truly do pose a packed lineup full of talent. We’ll see them again later in the week against Bucknell, with major resume-building opportunities coming soon after.