The St. John’s Red Storm were among the best teams in the BIG EAST and college basketball last season.
However, their early exit from the NCAA Tournament left fans disappointed and wanting more from Rick Pitino’s squad.
The Red Storm made some key additions in the transfer portal, such as adding dynamic guard Ian Jackson from North Carolina, and are in a great spot heading into next year.
Jeff Borzello of ESPN recently revealed his top-25 teams in college basketball after the transfer portal officially closed, and St. John’s made a massive jump from is previous ranking.
The Red Storm’s previous ranking was No. 15, but the analyst bumped them all the way up to No. 3
The only two programs ranked ahead of St. John’s are the Houston Cougars and Purdue Boilermakers.
“The Red Storm’s NCAA tournament run ended earlier than expected, but Rick Pitino guided them to the Big East regular-season and tournament titles and has St. John’s back in the national discussion moving forward,” wrote Borzello.
“The losses of Kadary Richmond, RJ Luis Jr., and Aaron Scott will sting, but Zuby Ejiofor is back. Pitino also has one of the best portal classes in the country with Ian Jackson (North Carolina), Bryce Hopkins (Providence), Joson Sanon (Arizona State) and Oziyah Sellers (Stanford).”
While the Red Storm has a solid roster heading into the 2025-26 season, the college basketball expert is still concerned about one key area.
Borzello pointed out, “The lack of both depth and a true point guard is the concern.”
Still, the Red Storm has one of the most talented teams in the country and arguably the best coach of all time leading the charge.
There’s no reason to think this roster can’t win an NCAA Championship next year.
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