College basketball rankings: This time St. John's lands elite PG, jumps up in way-too-early Top 25 And 1

Q: Who is Quinn Ellis and what are his achievements in basketball?

Quinn Ellis is a 23-year-old point guard from England, recognized as Lega Basket Serie A's Best Young Player in 2025 and the Italian Cup MVP the same year.

Q: How will Quinn Ellis impact St. John's basketball team next season?

Quinn Ellis is expected to enhance St. John's performance by bringing his professional experience and skills, aiming to help the team secure back-to-back Big East championships.

Q: What led to St. John's struggles last season in college basketball?

St. John's struggled last season primarily due to the failure to enroll an elite point guard, a mistake acknowledged by coach Rick Pitino.

Q: What eligibility changes have affected college basketball rosters recently?

Recent changes in eligibility rules have allowed more European players to join college basketball teams, contributing to diverse rosters and improved performance, as seen with Illinois reaching the 2026 Final Four.

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The failure to enroll an elite point guard in advance of last season was the biggest reason St. John's struggled early relative to expectations, even coach Rick Pitino acknowledged in December. On Tuesday, the Red Storm did something that suggests that mistake won't be repeated when they secured a commitment from Quinn Ellis, a point guard from England who has been playing professionally in some form since 2019.

Age: 23. Height: 6-foot-5.

Ellis is experienced and in possession of great positional size. He was named Lega Basket Serie A's Best Young Player in 2025, the same year he was also the Italian Cup MVP. With Olimpia Milano, Ellis has won back-to-back Italian Cup titles and will now spend next season trying to help St. John's win back-to-back Big East championships thanks to the loosening of eligibility rules that have sprinkled Europeans throughout college basketball, most famously at Illinois, which advanced to the 2026 Final Four with a roster featuring six Europeans, four of whom were among the Illini's top six scorers.

Anyway ...

Shortly after Ellis committed to St. John's, Dylan Darling announced he's entering the transfer portal following one season with the Red Storm in which he started 15 games at point guard. Those two developments are obviously related. And, I think, it's a net-positive for St. John's, which is now up to No. 13 in Version 6 of the 2026-27 CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 college basketball rankings, where Michigan remains No. 1 based on a projection that the Wolverines will return three of their top five scorers -- Morez Johnson Jr., Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney -- from a team that won the 2026 NCAA Tournament and finished 37-3. That core should combine with a recruiting class highlighted by Tennessee transfer J.P. Estrella, five-star freshman Brandon McCoy Jr. and four-star freshmen Quinn Costello and Lincoln Cosby to create a team capable of winning consecutive national championships.

Are we sure Johnson is returning to Michigan? Or that Aday Mara is definitely leaving? No, not yet. Neither potential first-round pick has publicly announced their intentions -- but the projection here is that Mara leaves and Johnson stays. If either does the opposite, the Top 25 And 1 will adjust accordingly. But, for now, that's the roster-projection that has Michigan No. 1.

Top 25 And 1 rankings

Biggest Movers

2 St. John's

1 Texas

Rk	Teams		Chg	Rcrd
1	team logo Michigan	This ranking is based on the Wolverines returning three of the top five scorers -- specifically Morez Johnson Jr., Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney -- from a team that finished 37-3 and won the 2026 NCAA Tournament. That core will be joined by a recruiting class highlighted by five-star prospect Brandon McCoy Jr., Tennessee transfer J.P. Estrella, and four-star prospects Lincoln Cosby, Quinn Costello and Joseph Hartman.	--	37-3
2	team logo Florida	This ranking is based on the Gators returning five of the top seven scorers -- specifically Alex Condon, Boogie Fland, Reuben Chinyelu, Urban Klavsar and Isaiah Brown -- from a team that finished 27-8 and advanced to the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. That core will be joined by a recruiting class highlighted by Kentucky transfer Denzel Aberdeen and 7-foot center Jones Lay.	--	27-8
3	team logo Illinois	This ranking is based on the Illini returning six of the top nine scorers -- specifically Andrej Stojakovic, David Mirkovich, Tomislav Ivisic, Zvonimir Ivisic, Jake Davis and Brandon Lee -- from a team that finished 28-9 and advanced to the 2026 Final Four. That core will be joined by a recruiting class highlighted by Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks, four-star prospects Quintin Coleman and Lucas Morillo and three-star prospects Ethan Brown and Landon Davis.