St. John's cracks the top 10 in AP Top 25 poll
St. John's Simeon Wilcher after sinking a basket during the second half against Marquette on Feb. 4, 2025, at MSG. Credit: AP/Seth Wenig
St. John’s now stands in some very rare air.
The Red Storm moved up to No. 9 in the AP poll released on Monday afternoon, gaining three points after defeating then-No. 11 Marquette at the Garden and then-No. 19 UConn on the road. Those stand as their two most significant victories of the season. Both were Quad I wins, a metric that plays a factor in selecting the NCAA Tournament field.
St. John’s was last ranked No. 9 in the final AP Top 25 poll of the 1998-99 season after it reached the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. The Red Storm did appear as high as No. 8 twice that season.
The Red Storm (21-3, 12-1) play Wednesday night at Villanova in what should be their chance at a fourth Quad I win. They play on Sunday against No. 24 Creighton at the Garden.
Creighton is a new entry to the national rankings after wins over Providence and Marquette, which slipped to No. 18. Connecticut dropped out of the Top 25 and sits two spots back.
Big East award
St. John’s RJ Luis Jr. was named the Big East Player of the Week. He averaged 19.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals as the Storm won twice to extend their winning streak to 10 games.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
