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Big East coaches predict St. John’s to finish second in the league this season, behind Connecticut, according to a preseason poll conducted on media day. Guards Ian Jackson and Tounde Yessoufou were selected for the first team based on their anticipated strong performance. Last year, St. John’s excelled with frontcourt dominance but this year the backcourt trio of Jackson, Yessoufou, and Quinn Ellis is expected to carry the load.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-01,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The Big East coaches have picked St. John’s to finish second in their preseason poll for the upcoming basketball season, placing them just behind Connecticut (UConn). Guards Ian Jackson and Tounde Yessoufou were named to the conference's first team. The rest of the predicted top five includes Villanova, Marquette, and Providence, respectively. Georgetown and Butler are expected to finish at the bottom in tenth and eleventh positions. This prediction highlights the strength of St. John’s backcourt compared to their previous reliance on a strong front line led by Big East Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor, who was drafted into the NBA last year.
Written for “Big East Preseason Poll” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
The Big East coaches are high on the St. John’s backcourt and expect the Johnnies to remain near the top of the league.
asserted
Johnnies → expect → league
In the annual poll and preseason all-league honors voted on by the coaches on media day, Rick Pitino’s team was picked to finish second in the league behind Connecticut.
asserted
team → vote → Connecticut
Guards Ian Jackson and Tounde Yessoufou were selected to the conference’s first team.
asserted
Jackson → select → team
St. John’s received two out of 11 votes for first place.
asserted
John → receive → place
UConn landed eight and Marquette garnered the final one.
asserted
Marquette → land → one
Villanova was picked third, Marquette was fourth, followed by Providence at five, Xavier at six and Creighton was seventh.
asserted
Creighton → pick → six
Seton Hall came in ninth after No. 8 DePaul.
asserted
Hall → come → DePaul
Georgetown and Butler were predicted to finish at the bottom at 10th and 11th respectively.
asserted
Georgetown → predict → bottom
TRY IT NOWA year ago, St. John’s strength was up front, led by Big East Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor, who became the program’s first first-round NBA Draft pick since Maurice Harkless went 15th overall in 2012.
asserted
Harkless → try → 2012
The Johnnies repeated as Big East regular season and postseason champion, and reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999.
asserted
Johnnies → repeat → 1999
This season, the backcourt is expected to be terrific.
asserted
backcourt → expect → ?
There are high hopes for Jackson in his second season in Queens, now that he will be playing his natural position of shooting guard.
asserted
he → be → guard
The 6-foot-5 standout averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.6 assists as a freshman at Baylor and was considered a potential late first-round pick, before opting to return to school.
asserted
standout → average → school
While the NCAA has not cleared him yet, there is optimism that will ultimately happen.
asserted
that → clear → him
Connecticut guard Silas Demary Jr. was named the preseason player of the year.
asserted
Jr. → name → year
Jackson and Yessoufou were joined on the first team by Villanova’s Tyler Perkins, Marquette’s Nigel James Jr. and UConn’s Braylon Mullins.
asserted
Jackson → join → Perkins
The second team was composed of UConn’s Na’jai Hines, Marquette’s Royce Parham, Providence’s Miles Byrd and Villanova duo Devin Royal and Kwame Evans Jr.
asserted
team → compose → Hines
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