Both the St. John's and Syracuse basketball programs collected two victories last week and each team was rewarded Monday by the college basketball polls. The Red Storm, who last Monday earned their first top-25 ranking since 2000, jumped up to No. 15 in both polls, while the Orange are No. 12 in both polls. The Big East Conference had eight teams earn top-20 rankings.
St. John's (19-9, 11-5 Big East), which beat the DePaul Blue Demons, Feb. 23, and Villanova Wildcats, Saturday, is currently on a six-game winning streak, its longest conference run since 1999-00. The Orange (24-6, 11-6), who defeated Villanova and the Georgetown Hoyas last week, are in the midst of a four-game winning streak.
Despite losing 62-59 in overtime to the Louisville Cardinals (No. 11 in both polls), the Pittsburgh Panthers remain in the top 5 (No. 4 in the AP poll and No. 5 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll). The Notre Dame Fighting Irish also remain in the top-10 at No. 8 in the AP poll and No. 7 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll. Also in both polls, the Connecticut Huskies are No. 16, Georgetown is No. 17 and Villanova is No. 19.
The Ohio St. Buckeyes are the new No. 1 after the Duke Blue Devils (No. 4/5) lost to Virginia Tech on Saturday. In both polls the top 5 finishes with the Kansas Jayhawks at No. 2 and the BYU Cougars at No. 3.