St. John's bounce-back win could lead to bigger things

Bryce Hopkins, who scored a team-high 26 points, shoots over Dan Skillings during St. John's 96-81 win over Baylor on Nov. 25, 2025. Getty Images

LAS VEGAS — It was this time a year ago that St. John’s began to establish its identity as a team at its best when facing adversity.

The Johnnies were crushed after a devastating buzzer-beating, double-overtime loss in the Bahamas, and showed their mental toughness by blowing out Virginia 24 hours later.

Tuesday afternoon’s one-sided victory over Baylor — the same Baylor that knocked them off in the aforementioned contest — was similar.

Coming off a frustrating one-point loss to No. 15 Iowa State, the 14th-ranked Johnnies were facing a test of their fortitude, an early read on their resilience.