In an alternate universe, St. John’s has the difference-making transfers. St. John’s has the star big man. St. John’s finds a way to win late, moving closer to another NCAA Tournament berth.

Just imagine, if St. John’s decided to hire Danny Hurley seven years ago when it parted ways with Steve Lavin. If former president Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw wasn’t so in love with the idea of being the man responsible for bringing Chris Mullin back to Queens. Hurley, three years into a massive rebuilding job at Rhode Island that would later result in two NCAA Tournament appearances, wanted the job. He grew up across the Hudson River in Jersey City, and had endless connections with local prep power brokers from his days as the coach at New Jersey powerhouse St. Benedict’s Prep.

But he never got a look. It was always going to be Mullin, which set the program back significantly after Lavin had made it relevant, reaching two NCAA Tournaments in five seasons. Mullin went 20-52 in the Big East in four years, reaching one NCAA Tournament, but failing to build upon Lavin’s success. He didn’t put the time in that was needed and didn’t bring in the right people, leading to the hiring of Mike Anderson. Now Hurley is in the Big East, coaching and methodically building up UConn, beating St. John’s on Sunday at the Garden despite his lethargic team playing its fourth game in eight days.

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This isn’t a knock on Anderson, a winner everywhere he’s been. Anderson overachieved in his first two years here, leading St. John’s to a fourth-place finish in a diminished Big East a season ago. This year hasn’t gone anywhere close to according to plan. The Johnnies were picked fourth in the league by Big East coaches and look like a bottom-four team in the conference. Anderson has not had a good year. The transfers he brought in not named Aaron Wheeler have not lived up to the hype. Attendance and enthusiasm for the program have dwindled significantly.

Think about where this program would be with Hurley. He’s recruiting at a high level at UConn, bringing in multiple four-star recruits every year, and will lead the Huskies to their second straight NCAA Tournament next month. Two of his top players, Tyrese Martin and R.J. Cole, are high-level transfers.

The emotional and intense Hurley obviously isn’t perfect. He can be abrasive and go overboard at times, like Friday night when he criticized the officiating after a loss at Xavier. His offensive game plans have come under criticism, and he left this team one scorer short after James Bouknight went to the NBA.

But he is winning, though probably not quite enough for demanding Huskies fans. Ask any St. John’s fan how he or she would feel if the Red Storm were a lock to go dancing again, and were now annually reeling in high-level recruiting classes.

Of course, that isn’t this universe. It is the one where Red Storm fans get punched in the stomach year after year. Sunday served as a painful reminder of what could’ve been.

Penny Hardaway didn’t let the ship sink. It took on water, but he found a way to keep everyone from jumping overboard. He’s brought Memphis back from the edge, and after Saturday’s win at No. 6 Houston, the Tigers may actually be an NCAA Tournament team.

If you’re going to rip Hardaway during difficult times, as many have, it’s only fair to give him credit for Memphis’ current five-game winning streak, four of which have come by double figures. I’ve always felt the best judge of a coach is how he handles adverse situations. For now, Hardaway is passing that critical test.

All the points, assists and made 3-pointers isn’t what makes Collin Gillespie great. No, it’s the Villanova point guard’s grit. His leadership. This week, playing on what coach Jay Wright described as a “severely sprained [left] ankle,” he helped the Wildcats to wins over St. John’s and Seton Hall. Gillespie clearly wasn’t himself. But he made a difference. He helped navigate St. John’s press on Tuesday and grabbed 10 rebounds without a turnover. On Saturday against Seton Hall, he pulled down two monster rebounds in the final minute, to go with 10 points and four assists in 36 minutes. Afterwards, Wright marveled at his star’s toughness. Gillespie shrugged it off. “You just have to grind it out,” he said.

No. 15 Villanova at No. 11 Providence, Tuesday, 8 p.m.

The Dunk will be on fire when Jay Wright and Co. visit for the biggest game of the Big East season. It’s been a remarkable year for Providence, which has won eight straight games and is one of the big surprise teams in the country. On Monday, it will be ranked in the top 10 for the first time since 2016. A Providence win here would all but lock up the Friars’ first regular-season crown in program history. They already lead Villanova by two games and can put the hammer down.

Seedings:

1: Gonzaga, Auburn, Kentucky, Kansas

2: Arizona, Duke, Baylor, Purdue

3: Illinois, Providence, Texas Tech, UCLA

4: Houston, Villanova, Michigan State, Wisconsin

Paul Mulcahy – Up

The light appears to have gone on for Rutgers’ junior guard. In the last four games, which includes wins over top-25 teams Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin (on the road), the Bayonne, N.J., native is averaging 19 points, 7.5 assists and has hit six of nine 3-point attempts. His emergence, as a third scoring option behind Geo Baker and Ron Harper Jr., has turned the Scarlet Knights’ season. A return trip to the NCAA Tournament is now realistic for a program that hasn’t danced in consecutive seasons since 1975-76.

Speedy Claxton – Up

There were doubts about this hire, since when Joe Mihalich took a leave of absence last year, Hofstra chose Mike Farrelly as its interim coach over Claxton. But so far, it looks like the Pride has gotten it right. In his first year at the helm, Claxton has Hofstra firmly in third place in the CAA, playing its best basketball as March nears with a very different roster than the one that finished last season. The former Hofstra star and NBA player hit on transfers Aaron Estrada (Oregon), Zach Cooks (NJIT) and Darlinstone Dubar (Iowa State), showing he clearly can recruit. And he has coached pretty well, too, navigating some difficult losses and significant injuries.

Buzz Williams – Down

At Marquette, he reached five NCAA Tournaments in six years. At Virginia Tech, there were three tournaments in five years. Williams seemed like the perfect fit to make basketball matter at Texas A&M. But it hasn’t come close to working out so far. The Aggies haven’t sniffed the dance, and are near the bottom of the SEC, suffering through an eight-game losing streak. Fortunately for Williams, College Station is so excited about the football team’s No. 1 recruiting class the basketball program’s struggles are barely a blip on the radar.

Iowa State – Down

The Cyclones better be careful. They have seven Quad 1 wins. They have a NET of 44. But they are 3-9 in the Big 12. It’s one thing to finish a game or two under .500 in conference play. Teams have made the tournament that way. But if Iowa State doesn’t make real headway over the next few weeks, it is playing with fire, no matter how many quality wins it has. A team last in its league making it would be unprecedented.