College basketball rankings: St. John's beats UConn as Red Storm rebounds from slow start to season
St. John's moves up in the Top 25 And 1 rankings after beating the Huskies for its ninth straight victory
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
It wasn't too long ago when we didn't get compelling power-conference college basketball on Fridays during what is widely regarded as the conference-portion of the schedule. It made the daily Top 25 And 1 easier, I acknowledge. But, still, it always felt like a wasted day in the week.
It's not anymore, though.
These days, we usually get at least one compelling game on Fridays during this part of the season, sometimes more. And this Friday, perhaps, was the best example we've had to date.
Final score: St. John's 81, UConn 72.
The Red Storm upset the Huskies inside New York's Madison Square Garden to extend their winning streak to nine and officially put their rough start behind them. Yes, St. John's, after being ranked No. 1 in the preseason Top 25 And 1, started 9-5 with a loss to Providence and got zero votes in the Week 10 Associated Press Top 25 poll. That's all true. But, since then, the Red Storm are 9-0 (with a victory over the team still favored to win the Big East) and performing like one of the 12 best teams in the sport in that stretch, according to BartTorvik.com.
Zuby Ejiofor, the Big East's Preseason Player of the Year, recorded 21 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and two steals. He was, at least on this night, the best player on the court and the key to St. Johns pulling even in the loss column with the Huskies in the Big East standings.
"He's been doing it all season," St. John's coach Rick Pitino told John Fanta after the game. "I mean, when do you get a center that leads you in assists, leads you in steals, leads you in blocked-shots, leads you in scoring, leads you in rebounding? Pretty damn special."
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Kyle Boone
St. John's is up to No 16 in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. UConn is down to No. 4. Their rematch, if you will, is set for Feb. 25 in Hartford.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
6
St. John's
2
Connecticut
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Brayden Burries finished with 17 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 87-74 win at Arizona State. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Oklahoma State. | -- | 22-0 |
| 2 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds in Tuesday's 67-49 win over Boston College. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday at North Carolina. | 1 | 21-1 |
| 3 |  | Nimari Burnett finished with 31 points and five rebounds in Thursday's 110-69 win over Penn State. The Wolverines' next game is Sunday at Ohio State. | 1 | 21-1 |
| 4 |  | Solo Ball missed five of the eight shots he attempted in Friday's 81-72 loss at St. John's. The Huskies' next game is Wednesday at Butler. | 2 | 22-2 |
| 5 |  | Joshua Jefferson finished with 19 points and eight rebounds in Sunday's 95-61 win at Kansas State. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday against Baylor. | -- | 20-2 |
| 6 |  | Andrej Stojakovic finished with 17 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's 84-44 win over Northwestern. The Illini's next game is Saturday at Michigan State. | -- | 20-3 |
| 7 |  | Kingston Flemings finished with 18 points and six assists in Wednesday's 79-55 win over UCF. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at BYU. | -- | 20-2 |
| 8 |  | Rienk Mast missed eight of the 10 shots he attempted in Sunday's 78-69 loss to Nebraska. The Cornhuskers' next game is Saturday at Rutgers. | -- | 20-2 |
| 9 |  | Emmanuel Innocenti missed all five shots he attempted in Wednesday's 87-80 loss at Portland. The Zags' next game is Saturday at Oregon State. | -- | 22-2 |
| 10 |  | Darryn Peterson finished with 19 points and two steals in Monday's 64-61 win at Texas Tech. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against Utah. | -- | 17-5 |
| 11 |  | Tyler Tanner finished with 24 points and three assists in Saturday's 71-68 win over Ole Miss. The Commodores' next game is Saturday against Oklahoma. | -- | 19-3 |
| 12 |  | Fletcher Loyer finished with 29 points and three assists in Sunday's 93-63 win at Maryland. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Oregon. | -- | 18-4 |
| 13 |  | Jeremy Fears Jr. missed seven of the 11 shots he attempted in Wednesday's 76-73 loss at Minnesota. The Spartans' next game is Saturday against Illinois. | -- | 19-4 |
| 14 |  | Alex Condon finished with 25 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 100-77 win over Alabama. The Gators' next game is Saturday at Texas A&M. | -- | 16-6 |
| 15 |  | Sam Lewis finished with 15 points and three rebounds in Tuesday's 67-47 win over Pitt. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday against Syracuse. | -- | 19-3 |
| 16 |  | Zuby Ejiofor finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in Friday's 81-72 win over UConn. The Red Storm's next game is Monday against Xavier. | 6 | 18-5 |
| 17 |  | Donovan Atwell missed nine of the 13 shots he attempted in Monday's 64-61 loss to Kansas. The Red Raiders' next game is Sunday at West Virginia. | 1 | 16-6 |
| 18 |  | Darius Acuff Jr. missed 12 of the 20 shots he attempted in Saturday's 85-77 loss to Kentucky. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday at Mississippi State. | 1 | 16-6 |
| 19 |  | Nick Davidson finished with 16 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's 66-64 win at Stanford. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Cal. | 1 | 19-4 |
| 20 |  | Khadim Mboup missed four of the five shots he attempted in Wednesday's 99-92 loss at Oklahoma State. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Houston. | 1 | 17-5 |
| 21 |  | Trey Green finished with 23 points and five rebounds in Friday's 102-71 win over Dayton. The Billikens' next game is Tuesday at Davidson. | 1 | 22-1 |
| 22 |  | Khani Rooths finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds in Wednesday's 76-65 win over Notre Dame. The Cardinals' next game is Saturday at Wake Forest. | 1 | 16-6 |
| 23 |  | Luke Skaljac finished with 19 points and five steals in Tuesday's 73-71 win at Buffalo. The RedHawks' next game is Saturday at Marshall. | -- | 23-0 |
| 24 |  | Caleb Wilson finished with 22 points and nine rebounds in Monday's 87-77 win over Syracuse. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday against Duke. | -- | 18-4 |
| 25 |  | Nate Ament finished with 28 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 84-66 win over Ole Miss. The Vols' next game is Saturday at Kentucky. | -- | 16-6 |
| 26 |  | Aden Holloway finished with 20 points and six assists in Wednesday's 100-97 win over Texas A&M. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday at Auburn. | -- | 15-7 |
