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After opening Big East play with a 3-6 conference record and in danger of another missed opportunity at the NCAA Tournament, St. John's is going dancing for the first time in four years.
After ending the season 23-11 overall (10-8 in the Big East conference, which sends six teams to the Round of 68 this year), the Red Storm are headed to the South region as a 9-seed. The Johnnies will open NCAA Tournament play in Charlotte against 8th-seeded San Diego State. The winner will meet the victor of the 2nd round matchup between top-seeded Duke and the winner of the play-in game between Robert Morris and North Florida.
St. John's aren't a sexy pick to come out of the South, especially with shot-blocker and the team's second-leading rebounder Chris Obekpa suspended for the first two weeks of the tournament for a violation of team rules. But this is a team that rallied late against Gonzaga and held their own for a while against Duke, who could face the Johnnies in a potential rematch. But as we all know, anything is possible once you get to March. Seniors D`Angelo Harrison, Sir'Dominic Pointer and Phil Greene will look to end their college careers on a high note in their first trips to the NCAA Tournament, and Rysheed Jordan will get his opportunity to shine on the big stage.After a 23-11 season, the Johnnies are going to Charlotte to face San Diego State in their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2011.
Here's St. John's entire draw:
Have fun printing out your brackets while Doug Gottlieb stares directly into your soul.