Fresh off a Big East Tournament championship, Rick Pitino and the St. John’s Red Storm enter March Madness with a chip on their shoulder and a tall task ahead. Sports radio host Boomer Esiason believes Pitino’s squad was not rewarded for winning its conference tournament, calling the team’s No. 5 seed placement “screwed.”
Despite this, Esiason is picking St. John’s to make a surprising run to the Final Four and, in doing so, knock off powerhouse Duke.
St. John’s Eyes East Region Run Despite Seeding Controversy
For the first time in school history, St. John’s has won the Big East Conference Tournament in consecutive seasons, the Rick Pitino effect, if you will. However, Selection Sunday brought controversy for the Johnnies. Despite sporting a 28-6 record and coming immediately off a Big East championship, St. John’s was announced as a No. 5 seed.
The seeding is extra interesting when considering UConn, the team St. John’s defeated in the Big East Tournament final, was awarded a No. 2 seed in the same region of the bracket. Esiason was quick to point out what he believes was a mistake by the selection committee.
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“But looking at this bracket, it made me realize just how screwed St. John’s got,” Esiason said on WFAN Radio.
Boomer says St. John’s got “screwed,” but he still has them winning their region 👀 pic.twitter.com/knwYhq5J5z
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) March 19, 2026
Esiason went on to explain why he believes St. John’s pulled the short straw in a loaded region of the bracket. “Not only are they in the East, they have to start out in San Diego,” Esiason explained, noting a long road trip to open the tournament.
The host then listed the road St. John’s will need to go down to make a run in March Madness, and it might be one of the toughest of all. If St. John’s can get past Northern Iowa, the Missouri Valley Conference champions, the team will, in all likelihood, have to take on Darryn Peterson and Kansas. If seeding holds up and St. John’s advances, that will likely set up a showdown with the Duke Blue Devils.
The argument for the toughest region in March Madness starts with the East Region, and being seeded at No. 5 makes things that much tougher for Pitino’s team. Despite a loaded region, Esiason is picking St. John’s to emerge behind a smothering defense.
“Watching the Johnnies on Saturday night, man, I mean, the defense is smothering. I know they’ve shot a little bit better during the Big East Tournament. Rick [Pitino] is one of the best coaches, if not the best coach, left in this tournament, and he should have his guys on razor’s edge,” Esiason said, raving about St. John’s potential in this tournament.
St. John’s boasts an elite defensive profile. However, if the Red Storm wants to make a run, they will need to avoid regression and continue shooting effectively as they did during their run to a Big East title.
“Everybody knows this who follows them, and they know that they are relentless on defense and Rick will always say defense leads to offense and hes exaclty right and thats why I got them going to the Final Four in my bracket,” Esiason said, justifying his reasoning for picking St. John’s to come out of the East Region.
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Whether Esiason’s prediction comes true will hinge on whether the Red Storm’s elite defensive style holds up against teams like Kansas and Duke. The team will also need to score the ball at a consistent rate. If Pitino’s squad is going to make a run, look no further than senior forward Zuby Ejiofor to lead the way.
St. John’s has the defense, leadership, and coaching necessary to make a deep run in March; whether the Johnnies can handle the top dogs, or the No. 1 overall seeded Blue Devils, remains to be seen. The only thing that is for sure is that a deep run will be far from a simple task in a loaded East Region.
