St. John's Tops Big East Preseason Poll, Ranked No.6 USA Today Coaches

St. John's men's basketball team, led by coach Rick Pitino, is poised for a standout 2025-26 season, receiving the No. 1 spot in the Big East preseason coaches' poll for the first time since 1991-92. The Red Storm, ranked No. 5 nationally in the AP preseason poll, garnered seven of ten first-place votes, edging out UConn, which is ranked No. 4 nationally. Senior forward Zuby Ejiofor was named the Big East preseason player of the year, with four other St. John's players also receiving preseason All-Big East honors, marking a historic first for the program. Despite the high expectations, Pitino remains cautious about the predictive value of preseason polls, citing the team's roster changes and the competitive nature of the conference. St. John's will face a challenging schedule that includes several top-25 opponents and aims to defend its recent Big East regular-season and tournament titles. UConn, under coach Dan Hurley, is seen as their main rival, bringing back key experienced players after a comparatively disappointing previous season.