St. John’s Basketball Reign in Big East Predicted To End

The St. John's Red Storm have been predicted to not finish atop the Big East for a third straight season.

Mar 20, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino reacts in the second half against the Northern Iowa Panthers during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Since Rick Pitino has taken over as head coach of the St. John’s Red Storm, they have been the team to beat in the Big East.

He has quickly turned them back into a perennial powerhouse. After winning 20 games in his first season at the helm, going 11-9 and finishing in fifth place in the Big East, the Red Storm have taken over the top spot.

St. John’s is the back-to-back Big East regular season and tournament champion. In 2025, they defeated the Creighton Bluejays in the finals, 82-66. This past season, it was the UConn Huskies whom the Red Storm took down, 72-52.

In both campaigns, St. John’s went 18-2 in the regular season before running the table in the Big East tournament. Will that happen again for a third straight year? Myron Medcalf of ESPN doesn’t believe so.

St. John's predicted to finish behind UConn in Big East standings

Feb 25, 2026; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) drives the ball against St. John's Red Storm forward Rubén Prey (17) in the first half at PeoplesBank Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He recently wrote a piece sharing projections for how the Big East standings are going to shake out for the 2026-27 season. In a surprising turn of events, his projections have the Red Storm finishing in second place behind UConn.

At this point, projections are fluid because of how much uncertainty surrounds St. John’s. No one can say for sure what their roster is going to look like when opening night rolls around in two months.

If the pending court cases involving their players go in their favor, the Red Storm not only have the best team in the Big East, but one of the best in the entire sport. That all hinges on court cases for the eligibility of Babacar Sane, Keyshawn Hall, Quinn Ellis and Reed Bailey.

Sane recently received a temporary restraining order, deeming him eligible for now, with a hearing set for Oct. 1. Hall and Bailey are part of a group of players attempting to receive eligibility under the new 5-in-5 rules.

Red Storm has talent even if eligibility issues arise

Mar 7, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears guard Tounde Yessoufou (24) dribbles the ball up court against the Utah Utes during the first half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ellis is another international player who has yet to be cleared, but people at St. John’s are confident that he will get clearance and be the team’s starting point guard this season.

If they aren’t all cleared to play, the Red Storm isn’t void of talent. Ian Jackson and Ruben Prey are returnees from the rotation who appeared in at least 30 games and averaged double-digit minutes per game.

Also, they landed one of the crown jewels of the transfer portal, securing a commitment from Tounde Yessoufou after he withdrew from the 2026 NBA Draft. He provides Pitino with a dynamic, go-to scorer on the wing to carry the offensive load.