March 20, 2025
Brad Penner/Imagn Images
St. John's has their best team in decades. With the Big 5 in a rut, maybe hopping on the Johnnies' bandwagon could be the move for Philly sports fans this March.
Philadelphia has a rich college hoops tradition. It pains me to say, however, that the area's men's basketball programs have fallen on hard times. Villanova has fired head coach Kyle Neptune. Penn fired their head coach, Steve Donahue, last week. Temple was seventh in the AAC. Drexel was seventh in their conference, too. St. Joseph's has yet to make the tournament under Billy Lange in six seasons.
Not great!
I went to a Big 5 School. The Quakers have not won a tournament game in my lifetime. I'd take a first round upset. I'm not even talking titles. I still love March Madness nonetheless. Whether it's filling out brackets, hanging out with friends watching the games or slacking off at work, the tournament has become a national tradition. I need to find someone else, anyone else, to root though.
This year? I'm going with the St. John's Red Storm.
The Johnnies feel analogous to the type of team Philadelphia would love. If you don't have a team of your own in the tourney, hop on the bandwagon with me....
They're a city school situated right in Queens. Philly should understand that vibe quickly. They were a big deal in the '80s when the old Big East was at its peak. I know the Big 5 is supposed to be king in Philadelphia, but, growing up, I always enjoyed watching Big East basketball with the likes of Syracuse, UConn, Georgetown and more. While not all of the schools were located in major metropolitan areas, they did bring an element of the Northeast to the college basketball landscape that resonated with me.
They're tenacious defensively, too. That should get Philly's juices going. St. John's was No. 1 in KenPom defensive efficiency this season, going 30-4 and winning both the regular season Big East crown and the Big East tournament. Their overtime March 8 win over a good Marquette team was one of the best college basketball games of the year. They're fun and play hard.
Their offense? Well, they stink on offense. They're 65th in offensive efficiency. They shot just 30.4 percent from three. Even as a No. 2 seed, that'll probably be their undoing in the tourney, but, hey, missing easy shots will have Philadelphians feeling like they're rooting for the Sixers all over again.
If you love the fact that Eagles staffers like Nick Sirianni and "Big Dom" DiSandro embrace their Italian heritage, well, St. John's has two-time champion head coach Rick Pitino leading their squad. My South Philly friends call him "Uncle Rick."
Sure, St. John's will never be the real "SJU" to Philadelphians, particularly those who spent their college days on Hawk Hill, but, if you're looking for an entertaining team that plays stifling defense and has never won a championship before, the Johnnies might be it for you.
It's better than just latching your wagon to Duke, right?
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