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The waiting is almost over. The most anticipated St. John’s season in a quarter-century tips off Monday night in Queens.
After weeks of hype, plenty of accolades and lofty projections, Rick Pitino and his Johnnies are back to build on a breakthrough campaign.
It all gets underway against MAAC favorite Quinnipiac at Carnesecca Arena, one of only five games the Red Storm will play on campus this season. St. John’s begins year three of the Pitino era with enormously high hopes, a new-look roster and the highest preseason ranking — fifth in the Associated Press poll — in program history. They were picked by the Big East coaches to repeat as conference champions, narrowly edging out rival Connecticut.
For Pitino, the feeling of such high expectations reminds him of his days at Louisville and Kentucky. Those schools had annual plans to play deep into March. That is the goal in Queens this winter, following a memorable season that resulted in the school’s first Big East regular-season title since 1985, first Big East Tournament crown since 2000 and first NCAA Tournament victory in 25 years.
