2. St. John’s
Last season: 30-7 (18-2 in Big East), Sweet 16
Coach: The Hall of Famer won’t be satisfied with simply making the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, as he did a year ago; Pitino’s goal is to snap the Red Storm’s Final Four drought, which dates back to 1985.
Key player: Ellis, a British 23-year-old, is slated to be one of the top five or so point guards in college basketball this season — and was finally cleared by the NCAA earlier this week. Pitino should breathe a huge sigh of relief, since St. John’s didn’t have a great backup point guard plan if Ellis was deemed ineligible.
Number to know: Three, as in the number of rotation players whose eligibility remains uncertain less than a month before the Johnnies’ season opener. Hall — a likely starting forward who averaged 19.3 points per game last season at Auburn — recently had a temporary restraining order granted that deems him eligible, but there’s still uncertainty surrounding reserve forwards Reed Bailey and Babacar Sane.
Why they’re interesting: If Pitino has all the players he thinks he will, St. John’s can reasonably challenge UConn atop the conference, and possibly make the program’s deepest March Madness run in decades. Outside of LSU and Texas Tech, St. John’s has had as much riding on eligibility rulings as any team in America.
Rick Pitino is entering his fourth season at St. John's.Amber Searls / Imagn Images
3. Marquette
Last season: 12-20 (7-13 in Big East)
Coach: Shaka Smart’s “no transfers” policy during his first four seasons at Marquette worked with the core of Tyler Kolek, Oso Ighodaro and Kam Jones. But then that group departed — and the Golden Eagles fell apart, missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time in Smart’s tenure. Smart finally waded into portal waters, which should pay immediate dividends.
Key player: James would’ve been my preseason pick for Big East Player of the Year, after the 6-foot guard averaged 16.4 points, 4.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds as a freshman last season. He has All-America upside, especially with Fru — one of Smart’s transfer additions — as his pick-and-roll partner.
Number to know: Smart has missed consecutive NCAA Tournaments once in his 17 years as a head coach at VCU, Texas and Marquette. Don’t expect this to be the second instance.
Why they’re interesting: Villanova or Providence may wind up being more well-rounded than the Golden Eagles, but do they have one star as dynamic as James? Most likely not. Expect Smart’s squad to be improved and more enjoyable to watch.
