For the first time in a quarter-century, St. John’s has cracked the top 10 in the AP poll.
The Rick Pitino-led Red Storm came in at No. 9 in this week’s poll, matching their highest ranking since they were No. 9 at the end of the 1999-2000 season.
They moved up three spots from last week after defeating No. 11 Marquette at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday and No. 19 UConn on the road Friday.
St. John’s has won 10 games in a row, boasts a 21-3 record and is 12-1 in Big East play.
“We’re playing great basketball right now, but our defense is one of the best in the country,” Pitino said after beating UConn. “We’re getting better offensively. So, I’m happy. I’m happy with everybody, their defensive focus.”
Now in their second season since hiring the championship-winning Pitino as head coach, the Johnnies are closing in on their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019.
They just completed their first undefeated January since 1985, a year in which Lou Carnesecca led them to the Final Four. This is their first 10-game winning streak in conference play since that magical 1984-85 season.
Fueling Friday’s 66-62 win over UConn, the back-to-back defending NCAA champions, was 21 points from guard RJ Luis Jr., whose jumper with under 11 seconds remaining served as the dagger.
Luis, who scored 17 points against Marquette, earned a series of honors for his recent performances, including Big East Player of the Week and Naismith Trophy National Player of the Week.
Luis, a junior in his second season at St. John’s, is averaging 17.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this season.
“Everybody brings it,” Luis said after the UConn game. “Just to see where Coach Pitino is at in his life, just the fire that he brings. Not only Coach Pitino but the whole coaching staff. … They want to see us do well. When you got people like that around you that want to push you every day, you want to push back.”
Next up for St. John’s is a road game against Villanova on Tuesday, followed by a meeting with No. 24 Creighton at the Garden on Sunday.
Creighton is the last team to beat St. John’s, having won the teams’ Dec. 31 matchup in Omaha, Neb., by a score of 57-56.
The Johnnies’ three losses this season are by a combined five points.
“Having a hell of a year,” Pitino said. “We just got to keep it up.”