St. John's Ranked 13th in AP Preseason Poll, Marks Consecutive Seasons in Rankings
The Red Storm's preseason ranking is their first in back-to-back seasons since the 1990-91 campaign.
For the first time in over three decades, St. John’s will begin the college basketball season ranked in the Associated Press preseason poll for consecutive years. The Red Storm landed at No. 13 in the poll released Monday, marking their return after a No. 5 ranking a year ago. This back-to-back preseason recognition is the program's first since the 1990-91 season.
Under coach Rick Pitino, St. John's has seen significant roster turnover, with only two returning significant contributors: Ian Jackson and Ruben Prey. However, the team has been bolstered by several key additions projected to make an immediate impact. These include EuroLeague point guard Quinn Ellis and high-scoring transfers Keyshawn Hall from Auburn and Tounde Yessoufou from Baylor. Senegalese wing Babacar Sane is also expected to be a major factor, with both Ellis and Sane new to the collegiate level.
Pitino has described the current squad as the most talented of his four teams at St. John’s, but has also emphasized the need for patience as the team coalesces, having only come together at the start of the fall semester.
St. John's has won its initial two exhibition games against Drexel and Rutgers. The team faces a challenging non-conference schedule, including a matchup against No. 7 Texas in their final exhibition game. Their most prominent non-conference opponent will be No. 5 Arizona, who are scheduled to visit Madison Square Garden on December 5. Additionally, St. John's is slated to play either No. 11 Louisville or No. 19 Texas Tech in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas and will face No. 20 Alabama on December 12.
Connecticut is the only other Big East team ranked in the preseason AP poll, coming in at No. 4.