The No. 14 St. John's Red Storm have yet to collect a win against a ranked opponent so far in the 2025-26 college basketball season.
Their latest attempt to get one was on Monday, during a “The Players Era Festival” game against the No. 15 Iowa State Cyclones at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, but St. John's ended up suffering an 83-82 defeat.
It was a tough loss to swallow for St. John's basketball, as the Red Storm nearly got the lead late in the contest. Senior guard Oziyah Sellers missed what could have been a go-ahead layup after a turnover by the Cyclones with 30 seconds left in regulation, as Iowa State held on for the win.
However, St. John's managed to bounce right back, winning its next assignment on Tuesday against the Baylor Bears in the same location, 96-81. Following the Bears game, St. John's head coach Rick Pitino looked back on his team's defeat at the hands of the Cyclones.
“I think what I enjoyed the most last night was the devastation in the eyes of our players,” said Pitino about the loss to Iowa State, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post.
Senior forward Bryce Hopkins scored 26 points to lead all St. John's scorers against the Bears, while Sellers atoned for his crucial miss versus Iowa State by racking up 22 points with five 3-pointers to help the Red Storm improve to 4-2 overall.
St. John's, which also lost to the then-No. 15 Alabama Crimson Tide, 103-96, on Nov. 8, will next take on the Ole Miss Rebels this coming Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
