Just one more victory.

That’s all it will take for St. John’s to clinch a share of its first Big East regular-season championship since 1992 — one more win or a single loss from Creighton. As I mentioned during Sunday’s episode of the Eye On College Basketball Podcast, following St. John’s impressive 89-75 victory over UConn, they have improved to a remarkable 24-4 overall and 15-2 in their conference.

St. John’s is poised to become a Big East champion — poised either to share the title for the first time in over three decades or to claim it outright for the first time since 1985. Currently, an outright championship appears to be the more probable outcome.

“We are eager to secure this Big East crown,” expressed St. John’s coach Rick Pitino, “not just for the players but also for the loyal fans who have returned to support us.”

And the fans have indeed returned in droves. Did you catch the scene at Madison Square Garden on Sunday? The arena was filled to capacity, predominantly in red — a stark contrast to previous encounters when UConn visited. This time, the defending champions found themselves outnumbered, showcasing the tremendous progress Pitino has made with the Red Storm in a mere two years.

St. John’s surged to the No. 8 spot in CBS Sports’ updated Top 25 And 1 rankings on Monday morning, pushing Iowa State and Wisconsin down by one each, through no fault of their own. Meanwhile, Auburn continues to dominate the rankings, maintaining the No. 1 position for the 48th consecutive day. Bruce Pearl’s team boasts a record of 25-2 overall with an impressive 14-2 in Quadrant 1, leading the competition with at least five more Q1 victories than any other team, and fewer losses overall.

Top 25 And 1 Rankings