College basketball rankings: St. John's shakes off early struggles with strong start in Big East play
Don't look now, but the Red Storm are rounding into form with a pair of pivotal showdowns looming against UConn down the stretch
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
St. John's extended its winning streak to seven games Wednesday with a 92-70 victory over Butler, pushing the Red Storm to 9-1 in Big East play.
Yes, 9-1.
It's fair to note that none of those nine conference wins have come against currently ranked opponents, and St. John's has yet to face UConn in either of its two scheduled meetings. So skepticism about restarting any serious conversations regarding Rick Pitino's team as a potential 2026 Final Four contender is understandable.
That said, context matters.
Since Jan. 6 -- the start of this seven-game winning streak -- St. John's has performed like a top-10 team, according to BartTorvik.com's metrics. That doesn't guarantee the Red Storm will ultimately meet the lofty preseason expectations that followed their No. 5 ranking in the initial AP poll, but labeling them the sport's biggest disappointment is no longer accurate.
St. John's sits at No. 23 in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1, where Arizona remains No. 1 for the 18th consecutive day. Up next is a road game Tuesday at DePaul, followed by the first of at least two meetings with UConn a week from Friday at Madison Square Garden.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Brayden Burries finished with 29 points and five rebounds in Monday's 86-83 win at BYU. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Arizona State. | -- | 21-0 |
| 2 |  | Tarris Reed Jr. finished with 19 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 87-81 win over Providence. The Huskies' next game is Saturday at Creighton. | -- | 20-1 |
| 3 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds in Monday's 83-52 win over Louisville. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday at Virginia Tech. | -- | 19-1 |
| 4 |  | Morez Johnson Jr. finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds in Tuesday's 75-72 win over Nebraska. The Wolverines' next game is Friday at Michigan State. | -- | 19-1 |
| 5 |  | Pryce Sandfort missed 12 of the 18 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 75-72 loss at Michigan. The Cornhuskers' next game is Saturday against Illinois. | -- | 20-1 |
| 6 |  | Jalen Warley finished with 19 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 68-66 win over San Francisco. The Zags' next game is Saturday against Saint Mary's. | -- | 21-1 |
| 7 |  | Jeremy Fears Jr. finished with 29 points and nine assists in Tuesday's 88-79 overtime win at Rutgers. The Spartans' next game is Friday against Michigan. | -- | 19-2 |
| 8 |  | Milan Momcilovic finished with 29 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 84-71 win at Oklahoma State. The Cyclones' next game is Thursday against Colorado. | -- | 19-2 |
| 9 |  | Keaton Wagler finished with 46 points and four assists in Saturday's 88-82 win at Purdue. The Illini's next game is Thursday against Washington. | -- | 18-3 |
| 10 |  | Kingston Flemings finished with 27 points and five assists in Wednesday's 79-70 win at TCU. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Cincinnati. | -- | 18-2 |
| 11 |  | JT Toppin finished with 31 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 90-86 win over Houston. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday at UCF. | -- | 16-4 |
| 12 |  | AJ Dybantsa missed 18 of the 24 shots he attempted in Monday's 86-83 loss to Arizona. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Kansas. | -- | 17-3 |
| 13 |  | Tyler Tanner finished with 19 points and five assists in Tuesday's 80-55 win over Kentucky. The Commodores' next game is Saturday at Ole Miss. | -- | 18-3 |
| 14 |  | Flory Bidunga finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 86-62 win at Kansas State. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against BYU. | -- | 15-5 |
| 15 |  | Fletcher Loyer missed seven of the 10 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 72-67 loss at Indiana. The Boilermakers' next game is Sunday at Maryland. | -- | 17-4 |
| 16 |  | Darius Acuff Jr. finished with 21 points and nine assists in Tuesday's 83-79 win at Oklahoma. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday against Kentucky. | -- | 16-5 |
| 17 |  | Boogie Fland missed eight of the 12 shots he attempted in Saturday's 76-67 loss to Florida. The Gators' next game is Wednesday at South Carolina. | -- | 15-6 |
| 18 |  | Thijs De Ridder finished with 32 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 100-97 double-overtime win at Notre Dame. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday at Boston College. | -- | 17-3 |
| 19 |  | Nick Davidson finished with 13 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 77-63 win at Georgia Tech. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Pitt. | -- | 17-4 |
| 20 |  | Trey Green finished with 23 points and three rebounds in Tuesday's 79-76 win over George Washington. The Billikens' next game is Friday against Dayton. | -- | 20-1 |
| 21 |  | Mikel Brown Jr. missed 12 of the 13 shots he attempted in Monday's 83-52 loss at Duke. The Cardinals' next game is Saturday against SMU. | -- | 14-6 |
| 22 |  | Latrell Wrightsell finished with 21 points and two assists in Tuesday's 90-64 win over Missouri. The Crimson Tide's next game is Sunday at Florida. | -- | 14-6 |
| 23 |  | Ian Jackson finished with 18 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 92-70 win over Butler. The Red Storm's next game is Tuesday at DePaul. | -- | 16-5 |
| 24 |  | Jaron Pierre Jr. finished with 28 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 83-80 win over Florida State. The Mustangs' next game is Saturday at Louisville. | -- | 15-5 |
| 25 |  | Eian Elmer finished with 30 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 86-84 win over UMass. The Redhawks' next game is Saturday against Northern Illinois. | -- | 21-0 |
| 26 |  | Caleb Wilson finished with 20 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 85-80 win at Virginia. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday at Georgia Tech. | -- | 16-4 |
