Rick Pitino knows that St. John’s needs to test itself against some of the best teams in the country to prepare for the NCAA Tournament and the No. 5 Johnnies (1-0) are wasting no time in jumping into the deep end of the pool this season.
In its second game of the year, the Red Storm will welcome No. 15 Alabama (1-0) and its electric offense to Madison Square Garden on Saturday afternoon (12:00 p.m. ET, FS1).
It’s a challenge that Pitino acknowledges his team must face, although the Crimson Tide provides a test that is extremely unique to any other great team in the sport.