The St. John's Red Storm won their second consecutive Big East title against UConn on Saturday. But the NCAA Tournament committee did not do Rick Pitino's squad any favors when building the bracket. St John's is going dancing, but they are the five seed in the East region, which fans are not thrilled about.
@dylan_restrepo1 is seeing some inconsistencies in the bracket building. “St. Johns wins the Big East and is a 5 seed…but Purdue wins the Big Ten and they get a 2 seed? what’re we doing here.” In the last AP Poll before the bracket reveal, the Red Storm were 13th while the Boilermakers were 18th.
Even Duke fans like @dukethedevil think St John's got screwed, “agreed man. st. john’s is dangerous though, definitely should not be a 5 seed.”
@DegiglioJoey is just looking for an explanation, “Someone needs to explain to me how UCONN is a 2 and St John’s is a 5? St Johns 28-6, beat UCONN twice including the Big East championship! UCONN only had 1 more win. Makes zero sense.”
@Epictetus757612 summed it up perfectly, “I would be pissed if I were St Johns.”
Despite a shaky start to the season, the Red Storm turned things around late. Losses to Alabama, Michigan, Auburn, and Iowa State before conference play may have tanked the Johnnies' standings within the committee. But their conference performance was enough to sway the AP voters. They went 18-2 in Big East play, with one loss to UConn and another to Providence. But since the calendar has flipped to March, no one has beaten the Johnnies.
The rest of the East Region is loaded, with the Duke Blue Devils atop the bracket as the number-one overall seed. Assuming no upsets, the Red Storm will face Kansas in the second round. UConn is at the bottom of the bracket as the two seed despite the loss to the Red Storm.
