The Associated Press Top-25 Poll has officially become meaningless until the end of the NCAA Tournament, but the final rankings of the regular season still have the St. John’s basketball team at No. 6.
While networks will not be showcasing the national ranking with conference tournaments begin this week, it’s still notable that the Johnnies held firm with its ranking after landing just one victory this week on an overtime buzzer beater on the road against then No. 20 Marquette.
The Golden Eagles suffered two losses, also falling on the road against UConn but remained in the poll at No. 25 this week.
St. John’s was jumped by then No. 7 Alabama, and perhaps deservedly so after the Crimson Tide went on the road and defeated No. 1 Auburn on an overtime buzzer beater.
No. 5 Alabama had lost earlier in the week at home against then No. 5 Florida but its victory over the team with the top ranking proved to hold the most weight.
Duke took over the No. 1 ranking for the first time this season after the loss by the Tigers.
Houston, Auburn, and Florida are ranked following the Blue Devils.
St. John’s (27-4, 18-2 Big East) tied the record for most conference wins by a Big East team this season with its win over the Golden Eagles, tying last year’s UConn squad, as well as tying its program record for most wins in a regular season since 1985-86.
As the No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament, the Red Storm will play on Thursday afternoon (12:00 p.m. ET, Peacock) at Madison Square Garden against the winner of Wednesday’s matchup between Providence and Butler.
The Johnnies will hope to improve its NCAA Tournament seeding – perhaps reaching the No. 2 line – with a strong weekend at The World’s Most Famous Arena.