College Basketball Preseason Rankings: No. 5 St. John's Red Storm

Top-25 College Basketball: St. John's Projected Roster & Outlook

In this series, we'll be taking a closer look at RotoWire's preseason college basketball top-25, with an in-depth roster analysis and projected rotation for the 2025-26 season for each team. Today's feature will be the St. John's Red Storm.

5. St. John's

Coach Rick Pitino brought in a stellar transfer class to help replace a lot of outgoing contributors like RJ Luis Jr. (18.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG), Kadary Richmond (12.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 5.3 APG), Deivon Smith (9.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.9 APG) and Aaron Scott (8.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG). 

Bryce Hopkins should be the most immediate help provided he stays healthy, something he has struggled with the last two seasons at Providence. When on the floor, Hopkins is a dynamic power forward who can score in a variety of ways and has been one of the best rebounders in the Big East. 

Hopkins will form a powerful frontcourt duo with Zuby Ejiofor, who is coming off a career season in which he was a nightly double-double threat. 

Ian Jackson and Joson Sanon were both highly-touted freshman from the 2024 class who will be getting a fresh start with St. John's. Both players are capable of being 15+ PPG scorers provided they buy into the defensive side of the ball. 

Dylan Darling, Oziyah Sellers and Dillon Mitchell should all be in the mix to start as well. Darling gets the edge for the final spot because he is really the only point guard on this roster after a big season with Idaho State in which he averaged 19.8 PPG and 5.7 APG. 

Kelvin Odih is the team's top freshman recruit who should find a role because he is one of the best perimeter defenders in the class. 

St. John's was one of the best defenses in the country last season, and while I think overall they will definitely lose a step on that side of the floor, this will be a much better shooting team with plenty of different weapons to go to. It will be quite a battle between the Johnnies and a revamped UConn team for the Big East crown.

Check out how injuries are affecting the status of other players & teams on RotoWire's college basketball injury report.

2025-26 St. John's Basketball Projected Starting Lineup:

PG: Dylan Darling (19.8 PPG, 5.7 APG at Idaho State)

SG: Ian Jackson (11.9 PPG, 1.7 3PM at North Carolina)

SF: Joson Sanon (11.9 PPG, 1.7 3PM at Arizona State)

PF: Bryce Hopkins (17.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG at Providence)

C: Zuby Ejiofor (14.7 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.4 BPG)

Key Reserves: Oziyah Sellers (13.7 PPG, 1.7 3PM at Stanford), Dillon Mitchell (9.9 PPG, 6.8 RPG at Cincinnati), Kelvin Odih (4-star Freshman), Lefteris Liotopoulos (1.4 PPG), Sadiku Ayo (1.9 PPG), Ruben Prey (1.6 PPG), Imran Suljanovic (Freshman)

2025-26 Full Preseason College Basketball Top-25

1. Coming Soon
2. Coming Soon
3. Coming Soon
4. Coming Soon
5. St. John's Red Storm
6. Duke Blue Devils
7. Louisville Cardinals
8. Michigan Wolverines
9. BYU Cougars
10. UConn Huskies
11. Texas Tech Red Raiders
12. Auburn Tigers
13. Arkansas Razorbacks
14. UCLA Bruins
15. Alabama Crimson Tide
16. Iowa State Cyclones
17. Arizona Wildcats
18. Michigan State Spartans
19. Gonzaga Bulldogs
20. Kansas Jayhawks
21. Tennessee Volunteers
22. North Carolina Tar Heels
23. Oregon Ducks
24. Illinois Fighting Illini
25. Wisconsin Badgers