Behind a pair of comeback victories over Seton Hall and Xavier to extend their winning streak to six games, St. John’s is back in the rankings after a one-month hiatus. The Red Storm come in at No. 25 in the latest AP men’s basketball poll
released on Monday afternoon, collecting 133 votes. Comparatively, St. John’s moved up one spot to No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll, having appeared in the rankings for a second consecutive week.This week’s ranking concludes a slow march back into the top
25 after St. John’s began the season as the fifth-ranked team in the country, but progressively dropped through the rankings. St. John’s was last ranked in the December 7 poll at No. 22, before a 12-point defeat to Kentucky knocked them out of the rankings.
The Red Storm received zero votes after their 77-71 loss to Providence on January 3, but have won their last six games since this defeat and gained ground each week in the polls. In the January 12 poll, St. John’s secured one vote. Last week, their vote total increased to 64, tying them with Wisconsin for the most among unranked teams.
St. John’s joins rival UConn as the only two Big East teams ranked in this week’s poll. The Huskies remained at No. 2 for a second straight week after surviving an overtime scare against Villanova on Saturday. Those same Wildcats picked up two votes in this week’s poll, the only other conference-mate to receive any votes in this week’s poll.
Other opponents from this season to appear in the poll are Iowa State, who moved up one spot to No. 8, and Alabama, who fell six spots to No. 23 after a 79-73 home loss to Tennessee.
The No. 25 Red Storm (15-5, 8-1 Big East) look to pick up their seventh win in a row when they host the Butler Bulldogs (13-7, 4-5 Big East) at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, January 28 (7:00 p.m., Peacock).
