Three Reasons St. John’s should be the Big East Favorite

2024-25 St. Johns Men's Basketball Team

St. Johns Athletics

March Madness, the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, will start on March 18. But before this national event, teams across the country will compete to win their respective conference championships, often called 'conference crowns.’ One of the teams that has excelled this season in the Big East, a collegiate athletic conference, is the St.John Red Storm. They hold the best record at 22-4, a significant improvement from last year when they finished 20-13. 

St. John's has a strong chance of winning the Big East crown, which signifies their dominance in the Big East Conference. This is due to factors such as increased team chemistry in Rick Pitino’s second season coaching the program, the addition of All-Big East First Team transfer [Kadary Richmond], and R.J. Luis Jr’s significant increase in productivity.

Here are three reasons why St. Johns should be the Big East favorite.

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RJ Luis Improvement

Luis Jr. rises for a jumper over two defenders.

The 6-foot-7 silky smooth guard from Miami, Florida, has improved leaps and bounds from his first two seasons. Luis Jr. is averaging career highs in points (17.6), rebounds (7.2), assists (2.4), and steals (1.4), shooting 44% from the field—an impactful all-around player.

He ranks fourth in scoring in the Big East, the highest since Julian Champagnie in 2021-22, and now plays for the San Antonio Spurs, who ranked second that season. Luis Jr. is one of six Johnnies (Champagnie, D’Angelo Harrison, Shamorie Ponds, Marcus Hatten, and Daryl Hill) to be in the top five scoring in the conference since 2002-03.

His backcourt mate Kadary Richmond may have received much hype coming into the season, but Luis Jr. has been the team's best player.

Dominance Against Top Opponents

Fresh off handing the back-to-back reigning defending champion UConn Huskies their worst loss in Big East play this season, 89-75, in front of a soldout crowd, the Johnnies continue to impress. It’s the first time they swept the Huskies since 1999-2000, as they’ve won 13 of their last 14 games as they snap the Huskies' eight-game winning streak at the Garden.

The Johnnies this season against AP Top 25 opponents are 3-1. A stark contrast from last season when they went 1-6 against top 25 opponents, with their only loss  AP 25 opponents coming against Baylor in a one-point 99-98 overtime loss. The Johnnies have the 12th-best scoring margin of +13.0 in college basketball per Team Rankings, which is the best in all the Big East.

The Johnnies have been indomitable at home, with a staggering 17-0 record. The last time they went undefeated at home was 1984-85, and they recently had their first undefeated month in January since January 1985. Their win over the Huskies set a program single-season record 15th Big East win.

It doesn’t stop there, as the win over the Huskies extended their conference win streak to 10, the longest since they had 14 consecutive in 1985.

Kadary Richmond, Elite Rebounding Team

Richmond (1) driving to the lane against Hassan Diarra of the UConn Huskies (10) at Madison Square Garden.

When I spoke to Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino at Big East Media Day about the star transfer before the season, he gave him incredible high praise. 

“Kadary really doesn’t have a weakness. He’s great at the defensive end, has great size, he’s an outstanding passer, he scores, he rebounds- he does it all.”

Richmond has been everything the Johnnies envisioned since he announced he was transferring from Seton Hall to St. Johns. The former All-Big East First Teams selection has stepped up as of late. Over the last nine games, he’s averaged 17.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists,  and 2.3 steals, entrenching himself in the Big East Player of the Year conversation.

Richmond was instrumental in the statement win over the Huskies, scoring 18 points, grabbing three rebounds, providing four assists, making two steals, and making two blocks while dealing with nagging injuries.

"Kadary Richmond is more injured than any player I've coached right now, and he fights through it," Pitino said. "He's got double groin pulls, he's got problems all over his anatomy. And he played the game and played hard. He killed it. He needs time off, as much as we can give him right now because he's really hurting. But he showed up tonight and gave it to us. He was brilliant."

The Johnnies rank second in defensive efficiency mainly due to Richmond, an on-ball nuisance who ranks third in the conference in steals per game and 14th in opponent shooting percentage (39%). Defense isn’t the only thing that makes the Johnnies a tough team to beat, as they are impeccable on the glass, averaging 41.0 rebounds per game.

They rank 8th in offensive boards per game (12.1), which gives the Johnnies extra second-chance opportunities where they rank second in the entire country per Team Rankings. Rebounding will be crucial for winning the conference and a shot at the national championship.

The Johnnies are having their best season in 40 years. Their unwavering toughness in each game, paired with a legendary coach in Rick Pitino, who consistently brings out the best in his players, is why they are surprising the college basketball world. The last time the Johnnies won the Big East was in 1991-92; barring a collapse, it will be their first outright conference crown since the 1984-85 season.

That season, the Johnnies made the Final Four- the last in school history. If the Johnnies maintain this pace, they might not only be Big East Champions for the first time since 1992. They could be national champions for the first time in program history.

A shift is happening in Madison Square Garden. Let’s all enjoy the show.