Big East champion St. John’s will have plenty of support on Thursday night when the Red Storm begins its quest to win the NCAA men’s national basketball championship. Meanwhile, nervous bookmakers are cringing at the possibility of such an outcome.

For much of the regular season, St. John’s was a long shot to capture the national title. Then the Red Storm caught fire and won nine straight games to claim the school’s first outright regular-season Big East title in 40 years and first tournament championship in 25 years.