Overview
- Rick Pitino met privately with Bryce Hopkins and then publicly urged him to become an “alpha dog,” confirming he will stay in the starting five against Kentucky.
- Pitino said St. John’s will start Hopkins, Zuby Ejiofor, Joson Sanon, Oziyah Sellers and Ian Jackson, with point guard Dylan Darling preferred as a spark off the bench.
- Over the last four games, Hopkins has averaged 9.0 points and 4.5 rebounds on 41.3% shooting with 10 turnovers to five assists, and St. John’s is minus-21 in his 92 minutes and plus-55 when he sits.
- No. 22 St. John’s (7-3) enters Saturday’s CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta on a three-game win streak after a 79–66 Big East-opening win over DePaul, boosted by Darling’s 17 points and Sanon’s recent rebounding surge.
- Kentucky (7-4) seeks its first ranked win after beating Indiana, with coach Mark Pope highlighting the matchup’s urgency and reports indicating center Jayden Quaintance could make his season debut.