Mar 14, 2026; New York, NY, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino following the men's Big East Conference Tournament Championship against the Connecticut Huskies at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Most Overrated and Underrated Team in Duke's Region

Originally posted on Duke Blue Devils on SI
By Hugh Straine | Last updated Mar 19, 2026 9:00 AM ET

The Duke Blue Devils are just a couple of days away from kicking off their trail to a sixth National Championship in program history. The Blue Devils enter the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed and the No. 1 seed out of the East Region.

Duke's region is filled with big-name brands. UConn is the 2-seed, coached by Dan Hurley. Michigan State is the 3-seed, coached by Tom Izzo. Kansas is the 4-seed, coached by Bill Self, and St. John's is the 5-seed, coached by Rick Pitino.

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It seems to be the consensus view that the Blue Devils have the hardest road to reach the Final Four of any 1-seed in this year's tournament, but it seems to be being blown out of proportion just how difficult the Blue Devils' path is.

Jon Scheyer's club has already beaten the 3-seed, 4-seed, and 6-seed (Louisville twice) throughout the 2025-26 season. Sure, it's very hard to beat an elite team twice, but Duke has proven it can take down anybody.

Now, let's go over the most overrated and most underrated team out of the East Region.

Overrated: St. John's

St. John's is becoming a trendy pick as the 5-seed to make a run and take down the Blue Devils in the Sweet Sixteen. But based on the Johnnies' resume, they seem to be a bit of a computer tricker.

Pitino's club currently ranks 17th overall at KenPom and 12th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Its offensive numbers aren't as strong, but it mowed through the Big East after a lackluster start to the year.

That's exactly why the Red Storm are criminally overrated. In the non-con, St. John's looked like the most disappointing team in college basketball. It entered league play with an 8-4 overall record with losses to Kentucky, Alabama, Auburn, and Iowa State.

The only Power Conference schools St. John's beat outside of the Big East were Baylor and Ole Miss, two teams that did not make the NCAA Tournament.

St. John's then saved its season, finishing 28-6 overall as Big East regular-season champs and Big East Tournament champs. The issue is, the Big East was terrible.

Only four out of the 11 teams in the conference finished with above a .500 record. Sure, the Johnnies beat UConn twice, but the hype around them seems to be getting out of hand.

Underrated: Ohio State

Unlike St. John's, 8-seed Ohio State is battle-tested out of the Big 10 and is led by one of the best scorers in college basketball, Bruce Thornton.

This potential matchup for Duke poses a similar makeup to the Blue Devils' ACC Tournament Quarterfinals matchup against Florida State. A weak defensive team, the Buckeyes like to win by running up the score and forcing an opponent to catch up.

The Big Ten was likely the second-best conference in the sport this season, and despite Ohio State finishing with a 5-11 record in Quadrant 1, it holds wins over UCLA, Wisconsin, and Purdue.

This article first appeared on Duke Blue Devils on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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