College basketball rankings: No. 10 St. John's trounces DePaul as Red Storm approach Big East milestones
Rick Pitino and St. John's are quickly approaching the most conference wins in program history
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
We've reached the point in the season where just about every good thing that happens at St. John's is something that hasn't happened in a long time. Wednesday provided the latest example when the Red Storm won 82-58 at DePaul to secure a 14th victory in the Big East for the first time since 1999.
If you're curious, St. John's hasn't won 15 Big East games in the same season since 1985 -- or 16 ever. So, barring a surprise, Rick PItino will soon guide this program to a new school record for Big East wins in a season, not to mention its first outright Big East regular-season championship in four decades, considering the Red Storm are now 23-4 overall, 14-2 in the conference and in possession of a two-game lead in the loss column of the league standings.
"I'm happy with the team," Pitino said following the lopsided victory at DePaul in which Deivon Smith led all scorers with 18 points. "We're feeling good because we work hard. I think they're getting it, this team. It all started last year. Building the culture."
You might recall, it was exactly one year and two days ago when Pitino described Year 1 at St. John's as "the most unenjoyable experience" of his lifetime. That obviously made headlines but also seemed to spark real change. Now, in Year 2, Pitino is clearly enjoying the experience with his Red Storm sitting at 10th in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings.
Next up for St. John's is Sunday's rematch with UConn inside a sold-out Madison Square Garden. Win there, and the Red Storm could spend next Wednesday securing a school-record 16th Big East victory at Butler that would also, at worst, clinch at least a share of the Big East championship.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
6
Missouri
2
Alabama
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Johni Broome finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds in Wednesday's 67-60 win over Arkansas. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Georgia. | -- | 10-6 |
| 2 |  | Walter Clayton Jr. finished with 18 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 85-63 win over Oklahoma. The Gators' next game is Saturday at LSU. | 1 | 11-5 |
| 3 |  | Cooper Flagg finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds in Monday's 80-62 win at Virginia. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Illinois. | 1 | 15-1 |
| 4 |  | Chris Youngblood was 3-of-11 from the field in Wednesday's 110-98 loss at Missouri. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday against Kentucky. | 2 | 11-4 |
| 5 |  | Emanuel Sharp finished with 17 points and four rebounds in an 80-65 win over Arizona State. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Iowa State. | -- | 15-1 |
| 6 |  | Zakai Zeigler finished with 22 points and eight assists in Saturday's 81-76 win over Vanderbilt. The Vols' next game is Saturday at Texas A&M. | -- | 11-5 |
| 7 |  | John Tonje finished with 31 points and three rebounds in a 94-65 win over Illinois. The Badgers' next game is on Saturday vs. Oregon. | -- | 11-5 |
| 8 |  | Dishon Jackson finished with 13 points and three rebounds in Tuesday's 79-65 win over Colorado. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday at Houston. | -- | 16-0 |
| 9 |  | Zhuric Phelps committed seven turnovers in Tuesday's 70-54 loss at Mississippi State. The Aggies' next game is Saturday against Tennessee. | -- | 13-3 |
| 10 |  | Kadary Richmond finished with 17 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday's 82-58 win at DePaul. The Red Storm's next game is Sunday against UConn. | -- | 11-5 |
| 11 |  | Jase Richardson finished with 12 points and three assists in Tuesday's 75-66 win over Purdue. The Spartans' next game is Friday at Michigan. | -- | 14-2 |
| 12 |  | Kam Jones finished with 14 points and five assists in Tuesday's 80-56 win over Seton Hall. The Golden Eagles' next game is Friday at Villanova. | -- | 6-11 |
| 13 |  | Vladislav Goldin finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in Sunday's 86-83 win at Ohio State. The Wolverines' next game is Friday against Michigan State. | -- | 14-1 |
| 14 |  | Mark Mitchell finished with 31 points and three assists in Wednesday's 110-98 win over Alabama. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Arkansas. | 6 | 12-4 |
| 15 |  | Braden Smith committed six turnovers in Tuesday's 75-66 loss at Michigan State. The Boilermakers' next game is Sunday at Indiana. | 1 | 15-1 |
| 16 |  | Josh Hubbard finished with 25 points and four steals in Tuesday's 70-54 win over Texas A&M. The Bulldogs' next game is Saturday at Oklahoma. | 1 | 10-5 |
| 17 |  | Kerwin Walton was 0-of-3 from the field in Tuesday's 69-66 loss at TCU. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday against West Virginia. | 1 | 12-4 |
| 18 |  | Otega Oweh finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's 82-61 win over Vanderbilt. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Alabama. | 1 | 9-6 |
| 19 |  | Sean Pedulla was 4-of-14 from the field in Saturday's 81-71 loss to Mississippi State. The Rebels' next game is Saturday at Vanderbilt. | 1 | 9-7 |
| 20 |  | Tobe Awaka finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds in Monday's 74-67 win at Baylor. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against BYU. | 1 | 16-0 |
| 21 |  | Isaac Traudt was 1-of-5 from the field in Sunday's 79-73 loss at St. John's. The Bluejays' next game is Sunday against Georgetown. | -- | 10-7 |
| 22 |  | Chucky Hepburn finished with 16 points and six assists in Sunday's 75-60 win at Notre Dame. The Cardinals' next game is Saturday against Florida State. | -- | 12-4 |
| 23 |  | Ja'Kobi Gillespie finished with 26 points and seven assists in Sunday's 101-75 win over Iowa. The Terrapins' next game is Thursday against USC. | -- | 7-9 |
| 24 |  | PJ Haggerty was 4-of-18 from the field in Sunday's 84-79 OT loss at Wichita State. The Tigers' next game is Sunday against Florida Atlantic. | -- | 7-7 |
| 25 |  | Dillon Hunter finished with 17 points and four assists in Saturday's 72-46 win at Florida State. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at SMU. | -- | 14-3 |
| 26 |  | Paulius Murauskas finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in Wednesday's 79-66 win over Portland. The Gaels' next game is Saturday at Gonzaga. | -- | 16-2 |
