Despite winning being the first program in Big East history to win outright back-to-back regular season and tournament championships, the St. John’s basketball team is not the conference favorite heading into the upcoming season.
The UConn Huskies were tabbed as the league favorite, being picked first in the preseason poll ahead of the Johnnies, which was announced on Thursday morning.
UConn received eight of eleven first place votes while St. John’s received two and Marquette, who was picked fourth, landed one.
Behind the Huskies and Johnnies in the coach’s poll was Villanova, Marquette, Providence, Xavier, Creighton, DePaul, Seton Hall, Georgetown, and Butler.
St. John’s defeated UConn in the Big East Championship last season and is 36-4 over the last two regular seasons in conference play. However, a large reason why the Huskies were picked ahead of the Johnnies is the uncertainty behind St. John’s roster.
The Red Storm are currently in a legal battle to try and get Babacar Sane and Keyshawn Hall eligible while Quinn Ellis and Reed Bailey still await their fates. If St. John’s can get all four players on the court, they could be considered as the team to beat in the conference over UConn.
In the meantime, the Johnnies have two players who will be eligible on the Preseason All-Big East First Team in returning guard Ian Jackson and Baylor transfer Tounde Yessoufou.
Jackson, a surprise returner to the Johnnies and inclusion on the list, averaged only 9.4 points per game on 40.9-percent shooting in his first year with the team but opted to bypass the transfer portal. He will play his natural position of shooting guard this season in hopes to reach his potential and turn into the superstar St. John’s had hoped for.
Yessoufou withdrew from the NBA Draft minutes before the deadline and committed to the Red Storm as one of the most impactful freshmen in the country last season. He posted 17.9 points per game with the Bears on 46.5-percent shooting and remains as a likely first round draft pick in June.
Tounde Yessoufou was a unanimous selection along with UConn’s Braylon Mullins and Marquette’s Nigel James Jr.
Huskies point guard Silas Demary Jr. was named as the Preseason Player of the Year.
St. John’s was the home of the last two Big East Players of the Year (RJ Luis and Zuby Ejiofor) and no school has won the award outright in three straight seasons.
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