St. John’s is finally looking like a national championship contender

College basketball delivered another solid showcase matchup on Friday night when a raucous Madison Square Garden hosted No. 22 St. John’s battle with No. 3 UConn.

Circled on the calendar of college hoops fans all season, the Big East slugfest between two preseason top-five teams gave St. John’s a critical 81-72 victory — its most important win of the season. The Red Storm entered the 2025-26 season with national championship expectations. A sluggish 9-5 start, including a surprising Big East loss to Providence, derailed any early talk of titles.

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Things have turned around for Rick Pitino’s team over the last several weeks. With a month left in the regular season, St. John’s is hovering closer to preseason standards. Nine consecutive wins puts the Red Storm in Big East title contention while vaulting them up the national rankings. Perhaps most importantly, the UConn win is the second Red Storm victory over a likely NCAA Tournament at-large team — quieting some concerns about a light St. John’s tournament profile.

Once considered a serious contender, St. John’s saw its national title odds dip to near triple digits before its recent surge. Is the UConn win a sign of bigger things to come for the Red Storm or merely the peak of a roller coaster first three months?

Balance gives St. John’s a consistent backbone

Last season saw St. John’s win the Big East on the way to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The trio of Big East Player of the Year R.J. Luis Jr., all-conference big man Zuby Ejiofor and guard Kamary Richmond was one of the most acclaimed groups in the sport.

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Despite the star power, the Red Storm were ultimately upset by No. 10 seed Arkansas in the second round thanks to poor perimeter shooting and an untimely dud from Luis Jr. Finishing with only nine points on 3-for-17 shooting, a miserable shooting day from Luis Jr. — coupled with season-long 30 percent team 3-point shooting — sank a once-promising season before the…

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Publish date : 2026-02-07 14:32:00

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