Preseason takes don’t age well, and right now, Gary Parrish and Rick Pitino are finding that out the hard way. CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish ranked St. John’s No.1 in his Top 25 and 1. Now, their season stands at 7-4. After starting at No.5 in the preseason AP Poll, they have slipped to No.22 and are expected to slip further after that demoralizing 78-66 loss vs. Kentucky. 

On the other hand, Rick Pitino was pretty confident of succeeding without a point guard. “There are no point guards anymore. If you find it, you’re probably describing a guy who can’t shoot,” he said.

Now, after that Kentucky loss, he changed his tune. “I think you can see that Jaland Lowe, he’s coming in — we don’t have somebody coming in like him,” he explained. “That’s our fault as a staff for not having a big-time point guard that makes people better.”

“Has St. John’s done enough where they can afford a bad loss or two in the Big East and still get in the tournament? Like, are we sitting here saying like this team is a lock to get in?” asked Rob Dauster on The Field Of 68 podcast.

“Marquette will be better in February. Shaka will figure it out, and they’re going to pick people off. Like if you’re St. John’s, you better hope it’s not you,” Terrence Oglesby replied. “I think they’re going to get into the tournament. I’m with you, though. But rest in peace to Gary Parrish, who said St. John’s was the number one team in the country before the thing.”

To be fair, St. John’s is capable of being the best team in the country, on paper. After all, Rick Pitino is coming off a historic season. Last year, they tied for the most wins in a single season in program history (31), the first AP Top 10 ranking that reached as high as No. 5, the first time they were ranked in the preseason since the 1999-2000 season, and a defense that finished second nationally in adjusted efficiency (behind only national runner-up Houston). 

In the offseason, they added the likes of Bryce Hopkins and Ian Jackson, among others, to have the 11th-best transfer class, according to On3. However, that splash out, not including a point guard, is not working well as the team is struggling to work around it.

“16 offensive rebounds by Kentucky is a killer when you’re trying to make the game messy. Like, and if you don’t have a point guard, they can do it,” Oglesby said. “You better close out possessions and take off running.” 

St. John’s currently averages 25.8 defensive rebounds per game, which ranks 168th in the nation, while giving out 14 offensive rebounds, ranking 357th. Without a point guard to control the offense, giving away the ball too much just adds to their disharmony. In addition, the point guard-less system is also leading to a lot of turnovers. 

In the Kentucky loss, St. John’s had 12 turnovers, 8 in the second half, and went nearly nine minutes without a field goal as the offense broke down under pressure. They average 13 turnovers per game, which is among the worst teams. With an average height of 6’5 per BartTorvik, they lie in the middle of the pack as far as height goes, making things difficult in crashing those boards. Without a proper point guard, all these problems just magnify. However, Rick Pitino believes that he will comfortably transition to being an elite point guard over the course of the season. 

Rick Pitino is all‑in on Ian Jackson as his next elite floor general

Rick Pitino had touted Ian Jackson as his next point guard when he signed him. “We had big shoes to fill at the point. Kadary [Richmond] and Deivon [Smith] were awesome,” he posted on social media. “The ball is now in the hands of our next great point [guard]. Let’s Go Ian!!!”

However, it’s not quite gone the way both would have hoped. 

In 11 games, Jackson started as a reserve in the first 7 and has only arrived in the starting lineup in the past 4. Against Kentucky, Jackson had his moments, finishing with 10 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and only one turnover in 29 minutes. He is not quite a finished product yet. 

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“I will say that, outside of the fact he never blocks out, Ian Jackson is improving, getting better and better,” Pitino said. “But that’s not his natural position. He’s doing a good job of getting better. That’s a big factor for us right now.” The Hall of Fame coach later added: “I think as he keeps improving, if we can get some wins, we’ll have ourselves a respectable point guard.”

Until then, St. John’s will have to adjust to multiple ball handlers. So far, Dylan Darling and Oziyah Sellers have shared the workload, with Darling topping their usage rate chart at 25.5%. Against Kentucky, it was evident that the two needed to improve. 

Darling struggled to match the size and athleticism of Kentucky, picking up four fouls within 9 minutes, while Sellers could not get open very often, shooting 3-for-8 and only attempting one 3-pointer. The talent is there, the pedigree is unquestioned, but how long can St. John’s survive Big East play without a true point guard before belief turns into concern?