It’s that time of year again. Every basketball fan in America can’t wait for March Madness and honestly neither can I.  The brackets, the unpredictability, the intensity, everything about it makes it so enjoyable. This year there are 68 teams competing, and they are all going for the same goal: To win it all.

St. Johns isn’t any average team this year. Rick Pitino has been coaching St. Johns for three seasons, and his intensity has never died down. Whether it was Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals or now St. John’s his intense and old school coaching style has not changed. St. Johns is currently at the top of the Big East Conference showing they can compete against big time teams.

St. Johns isn’t a team that just relies on one guy. They have players like Zuby Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell who all contribute.  Every player is capable of being that star player that they need. They have good depth in their roster and that gives them a huge advantage. 

Of course, this year the big teams are back: Duke, Arizona, Purdue, Michigan, Arizona to name a few.  I don’t see any of these teams making it into the final four, and to be honest some of them aren’t even in my sweet sixteen.  Although these teams seem like powerhouses in March, upsets happen, and they happen often.  Although Duke and these teams are better and more developed than St. Johns, I can’t see any of them winning the bracket because this is March and anything can happen.  The pressure to perform and win games can be too much for these powerhouses and can often lead to upsets.

UConn has a strong basketball program and they will be entering the tournament as a number two seed.  On March 14, 2026 St. Johns and UConn played against each other. St. Johns came out on top with a big victory of 72-52, showing that they can compete with high seeds in the tournament.

In the second round of the tournament on March 23, 2026 St. Johns defeated basketball powerhouse Kansas with a score of 67-65. This game was truly fun to watch. The game ended with a buzzer beater to send them onto the sweet 16. This game was considered and upset with Kansas being the 4 seed and St. Johns being the 5 seed. Honestly I was having a hard time watching this game. I was nervous and having doubts but seeing St. Johns pull through only shows more what they will put on the line to win and how hard they are willing to fight.