2025-26 Rankings

Silly Donovan said:
What everyone has to realize is that it doesn’t matter if the Johnnie’s are over rated, can’t back it up, etc., the amount of PR this will generate for the program is enormous and will pay huge dividends in the long run. It’s how teams like Duke and Kentucky, among others always seem to be in the lime light and always stay ranked no matter how many losses they seem to come up with. This is just fantastic.
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Exactly. The AP Preseason Top 25 comes out 3-4 weeks before the season starts for marketing purposes. It's to remind fans that the season is near along with what potential storylines to expect.

St. John's hasn't been able to take advantage of a preseason ranking in 25 years, but now they'll likely have a top 5 ranking to market. They're going to use that to ensure those 3 MSG OOC games are sellouts. If us fans want more OOC MSG games (which I sure do), then this is how it's done.
 
ADORAZ said:
Exactly. The AP Preseason Top 25 comes out 3-4 weeks before the season starts for marketing purposes. It's to remind fans that the season is near along with what potential storylines to expect.

St. John's hasn't been able to take advantage of a preseason ranking in 25 years, but now they'll likely have a top 5 ranking to market. They're going to use that to ensure those 3 MSG OOC games are sellouts. If us fans want more OOC MSG games (which I sure do), then this is how it's done.
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God knows how much tickets for single games are going to be... But they will be worth every penny!
 
vegasman2000 said:
God knows how much tickets for single games are going to be... But they will be worth every penny!
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I'm guessing at least on the secondary market the ticket prices for those OOC games won't be too bad. For a great team with massive fan support in the area, like UConn, the prices will be crazy. If we schedule a Duke or Syracuse (when they don't suck) again then maybe a couple hundred bucks just to get in. For Alabama, Ole Miss, and Iona I think the vast majority of ticket sales will be to St. John's fans, so probably could get decent seats for $50+.
 
Here are the 5 new ones from this week. Already posted CBS's but love seeing that #1, so...

www.cbssports.com

College basketball rankings: St. John's jumps Houston for No. 1 spot in way-too-early preseason Top 25 And 1

After Pop Isaacs decided to play for Texas A&M and not the Cougars, Rick Pitino's Red Storm moves to the top of the CBS Sports rankings
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com
#1 St. John's
#5 UConn (list stops at #26)

www.si.com

Men’s College Basketball Way-Too-Early Top 25: Houston No. 1 After Rosters Settle

Following the NBA draft withdrawal deadline, we have a clearer picture of what the 2025–26 season will look like.
www.si.com www.si.com
#3 UConn
#4 St. John's
#27 Creighton (list stops at #30)

www.on3.com

Way-too-early Top 25 college basketball rankings 7.0: 2025-26 outlook with all eyes on NBA Draft withdrawals

Here is a way-too-early look at what the Top 25 rankings could look like in the 2025-26 season after the latest transfer news.
www.on3.com www.on3.com
#7 St. John's
#17 UConn
#18 Creighton (list stops at #25)


#4 UConn
#9 St. John's
#22 Creighton (list stops at #25)


#4 St. John's
#6 UConn
#28 Creighton (list stops at #37)



Averages (across the above 5 rankings):
#5 St. John's
#7 UConn
#25 Creighton*

For Creighton it doesn't really work since CBS didn't rank them (their list stops at #26), but let's say if they assigned them #30 then their average across the 5 rankings would be #25.
 
ADORAZ said:
I'm guessing at least on the secondary market the ticket prices for those OOC games won't be too bad. For a great team with massive fan support in the area, like UConn, the prices will be crazy. If we schedule a Duke or Syracuse (when they don't suck) again then maybe a couple hundred bucks just to get in. For Alabama, Ole Miss, and Iona I think the vast majority of ticket sales will be to St. John's fans, so probably could get decent seats for $50+.
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Who knows. I’m kinda thinking opposite that you better get season tix and save money. Last year I actually was able to sell Carnesseca tix at very good prices considering my cost. Same for msg

2nd year into the resurgence and with these polls now if we win early it could get insane

A very good problem to have
 
mjmaherjr said:
Who knows. I’m kinda thinking opposite that you better get season tix and save money. Last year I actually was able to sell Carnesseca tix at very good prices considering my cost. Same for msg

2nd year into the resurgence and with these polls now if we win early it could get insane

A very good problem to have
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Yeah I don't go to enough games to justify the season tickets, plus the majority of time when I do go it's with additional friends/family and want to sit with them, but otherwise this would certainly be the year to buy season tickets.

I generally always buy through Ticketmaster or Stubhub, and last year the only expensive MSG games were UConn and I think the semis of the BET. Even those prices though were much cheaper than Bahamas or NCAAT Round 2.

This year I do expect the prices to increase, but we'll see by how much.
 
ADORAZ said:
Yeah I don't go to enough games to justify the season tickets, plus the majority of time when I do go it's with additional friends/family and want to sit with them, but otherwise this would certainly be the year to buy season tickets.

I generally always buy through Ticketmaster or Stubhub, and last year the only expensive MSG games were UConn and I think the semis of the BET. Even those prices though were much cheaper than Bahamas or NCAAT Round 2.

This year I do expect the prices to increase, but we'll see by how much.
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Depends on where you sit maybe too. I got insane money for I think the Creighton game and maybe the Providence game. They were weekend games.
 
dk423 said:
www.nytimes.com

Men’s college basketball Top 25 reset: How transfers, draft decisions change 2026’s contenders

Except for perhaps a few late international signings, this ranking may be nearly identical to the one I submit right before the season.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

Think the number is fair, and also our floor in preseason, which is pretty incredible relatively speaking.
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Agree, somewhere between 5-12 is eminently fair. The other teams in the top 5 all have a lot more continuity. Fair to take a wait and see how all the pieces fit. If anyone can do it CRP can.
 
With all of the scrimmages being public and televised, I wonder if that will make preseason rankings more determinant on those
 
dk423 said:
With all of the scrimmages being public and televised, I wonder if that will make preseason rankings more determinant on those
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Last year we beat a ranked Rutgers preseason (a few days after the preseason rankings came out), and we were then ranked #22 in the next poll. We only beat Fordham and Quinnipiac week 1 so our jump I think was primarily due to beating Rutgers.

So the preseason scrimmages will have an impact on the early season polls, but the preseason poll generally comes out before the scrimmages are played.

Regardless I'm glad to see more big time scrimmages in October. Makes the wait a bit easier.
 
Aren’t these straight up exhibition games now? They were scrimmages when you had a choice to play non D1 schools or scrimmage a D1 school. NCAA changed the rule to allow exhibition games vs fellow D1 schools.
 
bamafan said:
Aren’t these straight up exhibition games now? They were scrimmages when you had a choice to play non D1 schools or scrimmage a D1 school. NCAA changed the rule to allow exhibition games vs fellow D1 schools.
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Yep you're right, 2 exhibitions (not just scrimmages) against any D1 team starting next year. Fun change.
 
Eric said:
I know its just preseason polls and all but I am pretty impressed by the lets not get crazy from us fans with the preseason number 1 hoopla or top 5 depending on poll. Act like we have been here before?
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How can we act like we've been there before when we haven't? 🤣 But if you're right that truly would be some great "acting" and we should all get a part in Monte's next movie. ;):)
 
dk423 said:
www.nytimes.com

Men’s college basketball Top 25 reset: How transfers, draft decisions change 2026’s contenders

Except for perhaps a few late international signings, this ranking may be nearly identical to the one I submit right before the season.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com

Think the number is fair, and also our floor in preseason, which is pretty incredible relatively speaking.
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His last line is interesting, considering how much higher the expectations for SJU seem to be heading into this season:

I wrote this in the offseason’s first top 25: “If Rick Pitino lands a stud guard, I’ll probably be inclined to move St. John’s into the top 10 because it’s Pitino.” Since then he’s landed Ian Jackson (averaged 11.9 points as a freshman at North Carolina), Dylan Darling (the Big Sky MVP at Idaho State) and Oziyah Sellers (averaged 13.7 points on a middle-of-the-pack ACC team at Stanford). Arizona State transfer Joson Sanon, who was already committed at the time of April’s top 25, is also a nice upside addition from a crummy team. None of the three high-major guys have contributed much to winning outfits, and even Darling was on a fourth-place Big Sky team, so I’m hesitant to move the Johnnies all the way into the top 10.

It’s also hard to assume Bryce Hopkins is going to be the Bryce Hopkins of his sophomore season at Providence. Hopkins has played four games since the beginning of 2024. Pitino did get some insurance by landing former Texas/Cincinnati forward Dillon Mitchell, who I think is a great fit for his defense. If Hopkins is healthy, it’s a top-10 frontcourt. It’s possible I’m underestimating Pitino, but I think I’d take the 2024-25 roster over this one.
 
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