Rick Pitino is arguably the best coach in the NCAA circuit right now. He became the first St. John’s coach to ever win the Werner Ladder Naismith National Coach of the Year award for their exploits last year. Under Pitino’s leadership, St. John’s climbed back to the top of the Big East with regular seasons and tournament titles and won its first NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 2000. 

Pitino surpassed the likes of Dean Smith and Adolph Rupp with a 31-5 record, tying the record for most wins for St. John’s. With that, Pitino also climbed to fifth all-time in Division I with 885 career wins. Despite that, he wants to improve further. In the offseason, the Red Storm brought in Ian Jackson and Bryce Sellers along with three other top-100 recruits. So much so that CBS Sports has ranked their class as the best one in the country but this insider disagrees.

Lance Dawe said on the Locked on Kentucky podcast regarding Rick Pitino’s squad, “One thing I can tell you is that, um, you lose some of the major pieces from last season, and just because you bring in a hodgepodge of transfers doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re deserving of the number one overall ranking over some of these other teams that I feel like have more going for them.”

Kadary Richmond, RJ Luis Jr. and Aaron Scott are the players out the door for the Red Storm and they will hurt.  Luis was a big and physical wing who averaged 18.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2 assists per game last year while winning Big East Player of the Year for St. John’s and being the top scorer for them. Luis is off to the NBA Draft. Richmond was the third-best scorer on the team while starting 35 of 36 contests, averaging 12.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game. He was the team captain while making the All-Big East Second Team and the All-Met First Team. 

Aaron Scott ranked among the Big East’s top 10 in both offensive rebounding and steals per game with averages of 8.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals across 36 games, starting 30. So all three are a big loss for Rick Pitino and Co.

Pitino’s history of developing young talent gives hope that recruits like Ian Jackson could shine—though not Clingan, who thrived under Dan Hurley at UConn. Still, the immediate loss of leadership and production may leave St. John’s vulnerable in the tough Big East gauntlet.

After such monumental losses, Dawe doesn’t think they have made up with the replacements. 

He said, “I think that this is probably a top 10 team, top seven squad, but there are so many other teams here that I would throw up at number one before I put St. John’s there. That’s just my opinion.”

Despite high expectations, ESPN has not ranked Rick Pitino’s roster at number one heading into the 2025–26 season, instead placing four other teams—UConn, Purdue, Houston, and Florida—ahead of them. This assessment aligns with what Dawe emphasized: other programs simply have stronger returning cores and incoming talent on paper.

The transfer portal’s impact across the NCAA, with over 1,800 players entering last season per On3, shows how tough it is to maintain roster continuity. St. John’s reliance on freshmen over veteran transfers bucks this trend, adding a layer of risk to their 2025–26 outlook.

Florida, for instance, sees a significant rankings boost following the return of standout players Boogie Fland and Alex Condon, who both chose to forgo the NBA Draft. They’re joined by Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee, along with returning frontcourt contributors Rueben Chinyelu and Thomas Haugh, giving the Gators a well-rounded and experienced core.

Meanwhile, Houston retains a major piece in Milos Uzan, whose return solidifies their backcourt leadership. They also bring in a trio of top-25 national recruits, strengthening their depth and giving them one of the most balanced rosters heading into the season. Purdue is the top team for ESPN because they have the best guard in the country in Braden Smith. Smith did have one of the best seasons by numbers for a point guard in NCAA history in 2024-25, averaging 15.8 points, 8.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game, while leading the team in minutes played and 3-pointers made.

He, along with Trey Kaufman-Renn, was the only player in America last season to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and two assists per game. He also became the third player in Big Ten history to average 20 points, six rebounds, and two assists and shoot at least 59 percent from the field. They also added Oscar Cluff, who recorded 31 blocks with a 1.2 assist/turnover ratio, adding some strength in the paint. A healthy Daniel Jacobsen could be poised for a breakout season. So their top spot is arguably well earned. He further went on to criticize CBS for ranking Mark Pope’s Kentucky at number 12 in this preseason ranking.

He said, “I am just bewildered Kentucky comes in at number 12. One of the top one of the best freshman classes in the nation One of the best portal classes in the nation A a stud international prospect in Jelavich. This is a top 10 team This is, in my opinion, a top five team but I’m biased. This is an insanely low ranking for Kentucky preseason.”

As he said, Dawe’s opinion on this should be taken with a grain of salt considering he is a Kentucky insider. But they do have a solid case for a better ranking than what CBS has given. They landed big names like Jayden Quaintance and Mouhamed Dioubate but also added underrated players like Jaland Lowe, Denzel Aberdeen, and Kam Williams, who will help them in different areas throughout the season adding defensive cover and depth. With Otega Oweh coming back, that just adds to their firepower. That depth to go with how Pope marshalled this side to their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2019 with a squad he assembled while rebuilding a broken squad. So you would expect at least a top 10 finish for this side and 12 seems a little off the mark.

St.John’s could dominate next few years after financial boost

Money has been a big part of the NCAA circuit ever since the transfer portal was brought in and players received lucrative offers from different colleges, which were in the millions. This year we have reportedly spent more than $10 million on players on their roster and that list includes St.John’s, who have spent $12 million, according to Sportico. But we have Kentucky, who are spending $24.2 million, so there is still room to grow. They received a boost to their basketball program recently after the chair of the school’s board of trustees, William J. Janetschek, gave the school the largest philanthropic gift in its 155-year history.

He made a $32.5 million donation, out of which $25 million is earmarked for previously planned construction of a basketball training facility on the Queens campus. The stadium is set to have multiple full‑court gymnasia, hydrotherapy pools, advanced video-analysis suites, nutrition and lounge spaces, and community gathering areas. The construction is slated through 2027.

The other $7.5 million is to be directed to student scholarships. We can expect the budget to touch $20 million next season onwards. With this added money and an already solid roster, Pitino has the goods to make this team a dominant force for years to come. That kind of financial support can even sway players’ NBA plans, as we have seen this year. 

While St. John’s have lost out, you have Alex Condon, Boogie Fland, Miles Uzan and many more who had a chance of being drafted but chose to stay at the collegiate level for one more year. So this added money will get them even more top players and even help them attract top high school prospects.

With Kentucky’s estimated $24.2 million roster investment dwarfing St. John’s, it’s clear the financial arms race is heating up, giving Pope’s squad a short-term edge that could explain Dawe’s confidence in their top-five potential.