Big East Basketball: Buy or Sell Butler, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall and Villanova?

St. John's Red Storm - 8-3 (1-0)

Since it was a game involving two unranked programs, St. John's vs Xavier fell under the radar. But Coach Rick Pitino got his first Big East conference win in years, beating the Musketeers, 81-66. Five players were in double figures for the Red Storm, including Joel Soriano with 18 pts, 14 rebs, and 6 blocks.

It's been an interesting start to the season for St. John's. There was a ton of fan fare after the hiring of Coach Pitino and the addition of several high-scoring transfers from the mid-major ranks. However, some of those guys, such as Jordan Dingle and Chris Ledlum, have gotten off to slow starts.

The Red Storm has wins over Utah, West Virginia, and Xavier. But right now, maybe Utah is the best win of the group and even they aren't a definite NCAA Tournament squad on paper. And a loss to Boston College could haunt them if they end up in the bottom-tier of the ACC.

The good news for St. John's is that all of the Big East outside of Georgetown and DePaul are potential good/great wins and if they get enough of them, they'll be dancing. And it's simply hard to doubt that Coach Pitino can't get them over the hump. Yet it looks like they'll be closer to the bubble than with a protected seed in March.

Buy