St. John's relies on hard-nosed defense, which is the very foundation upon which champions are made. In fact, three of the last five national champs have been top 10 defensive teams. This year, St. John's is second in the nation.

As Rick Pitino prepares for St. John's first-round matchup with Omaha, Pitino is doing so with a stress-free mindset.

The Omaha coaches and players, in turn, know what they’re up against in a St. John’s team won the school’s first Big East regular-season title since 1985 and first Big East Tournament title since 2000. Pitino, meantime, is taking his sixth different program to the NCAA Tournament.