St. John’s Receiving Mixed Expectations by Experts

The St. John’s Red Storm are going to open up their regular, non-conference season against the Wisconsin Badgers on November the 8th. As we already talked about, nothing of real value should be taken away from that particular game. Still, it will be exciting for Johnnies fans to see their team go up against such solid competition that early in the schedule.

Nothing about that is puzzling. However we think we should judge the Red Storm — or any team for that matter — is up to each individual. Usually, however, folks’ expectations are generally the same for each program. Not very often will a slew of experts all have different sets of expectations for one program. Well, apparently with the exception of St. John’s

Depending what website, newspaper or blog (like this one) you get your info from, St. John’s is either going to finish second in the Big East Conference (Doug Gottlieb), finish around sixth in the league (half of everyone else) or they have to make the NCAA Tournament or this season is a complete bust (like area papers).

That is a slew of incredibly different expectations for the same team. I mean, I get it — not everyone is going to pick any program to finish in the same exact spot, but you would think there would be some form of consensus pick.

How does this matter to the Red Storm? Not too much. In fact, it will have little to do with their on-the-court success or if they live up to the expectations that they have for themselves. What it does do, though, is add confusion to the St. John’s fanbase. As in, what should they expect from this version of the Johnnies?

The answer is not simple. None of the “experts” are wrong, well, until they are. It’s just a matter of no one honestly knowing how a team with this much talent on it, but with little success from its core players over the last few seasons, will do this year with the addition of more, needed talent. It’s educated guessing, at best.

I only bring this up because I just find it so odd that so many people have so many different sets of expectations for St. John’s. And you know what? I have no idea how they are going to do this year either. I can see them finishing second in the conference, the middle of the pack, barely making the NCAA Tournament and/or being a bust. They are that hard of a team to figure out.

You know, until the season beings.

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Me, Twitter @JosephNardone