Predicting each St. John’s basketball game in 2021-22 season
Record predictions for St. John’s basketball in the month of January
January 1 at. Georgetown (12:00pm, CBS Sports Network)
St. John’s and Georgetown to kickoff the New Year in Washington D.C. Does it get much better?
The run Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas put together at Madison Square Garden last March was nothing short of remarkable.
Against all odds, Georgetown ran the table at the Big East Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.
The Hoyas magic quickly ran out as Ewing’s squad was bounced in the Round of 64 but the hope is to keep that momentum and carry it into this season.
However, Georgetown was quickly dealt a shock as one of its leaders in its March run, Qudus Wahab, entered the transfer portal and landed at Maryland.
Ewing will rely on a relatively young roster led by returning players Dante Harris, Donald Carey, Timothy Ighoef, but the Hoyas will bring in one of the best recruiting classes in the country led by five-star guard Aminu Mohammed, four-star center Ryan Mutombo, the son of NBA Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo, and former St. John’s target Jordan Riley.
St. John’s will start the new calendar year with its first road victory of the season.
Prediction: Win (13-2, 3-1 Big East)
January 5 vs. DePaul (6:30pm, FS1)
Is it a revenge game? Maybe? But St. John’s knows what happened against DePaul last year and will not let that happen again this season.
DePaul is entering a new era of basketball yet again with head coach Tony Stubblefield and it will take some time to usher in a new culture after years of dreadful losing under Dave Leitao.
It will be another tough winter of hoops in Chicago and this isn’t a game St. John’s must win, it’s a game they cannot lose.
Prediction: Win (14-2, 4-1 Big East)
January 8 at. Providence (6:30pm, FS1)
St. John’s swept Providence last season but did not have to experience the rowdy crowd inside the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in the process.
This matchup feels like it will be the first game whether or not we find out if Joel Soriano can compete at a high level in the Big East as he will have his hands full with Nate Watson as the big man opted to return to Friartown for another season.
Ed Cooley will lean on his All-Big East center this season as he looks to fill the void that was left after the departure of David Duke.
Players such as AJ Reeves, Al Durham, Noah Horchler, Justin Minaya, Alyn Breed, and Brycen Goodine will have to step up if the Friars want to get back to the postseason.
Prediction: Loss (14-3, 4-2 Big East)
January 12 at. Connecticut (8:30pm, FS1)
St. John’s will make its second trip up to Storrs since the Huskies rejoined the Big East but it will be the first trip to play UConn with fans back in the stands.
The Johnnies will play at Gampel Pavilion as they look for two straight road victories over the Huskies.
The two programs did not play a second time last season due to scheduling conflicts caused by COVID-19.
Head coach Dan Hurley lost his best player in James Bouknight and last season the Huskies were very average when Bouknight missed extended time with an injury.
Many are projecting the Huskies to be at the top of the Big East this season and this could be a matchup of a pair of Top-4 teams in the conference.
Prediction: Loss (14-4, 4-3 Big East)
January 16 vs. Georgetown (12:00pm OR 4:30pm, FOX)
Playing inside Madison Square Garden for its first Big East regular season game since the 2019-20 season, the Johnnies will welcome the Hoyas to town as the first opponent they play twice this season.
The game time will be determined by the NFL Playoffs and television schedule, depending on which game FOX is awarded.
However, after predicting the Johnnies to pick up a victory on the road over Georgetown, Mike Anderson and the Red Storm need to defend its home court and end its two-game skid.
A win will send the Red Storm faithful home happy from the World’s Most Famous Arena.
Prediction: Win (15-4, 5-3 Big East)
January 19 at. Creighton (7:00pm, FS1)
The first matchup between St. John’s and Creighton comes in mid-January in Omaha as the Bluejays appear set for a rebuilding season.
Creighton swept the season series last year but head coach Greg McDermott has lost his best player in Marcus Zegarowski and sharpshooter Mitch Ballock.
Creighton will throw freshman Ryan Nembhard into the rigors of the Big East as the Bluejays have a prime breakout candidate in center Ryan Kalkbrenner.
Duke transfer Alex O’Connell was underwhelming in his first season in Nebraska but McDermott is hoping he can provide a major lift this season.
The CHI Health Center Omaha is one of the toughest places to play in the conference but the Bluejays do not seem to have the firepower as in years past.
Prediction: Win (16-4, 6-3 Big East)
January 22 vs. Seton Hall (12:00pm, FS1)
St. John’s returns to The Garden and it will be a short trip across the Hudson River for Seton Hall, who will be looking to sweep the season series.
The Johnnies will have to defend home court and avoid being swept by Seton Hall, who will need all the resume wins they can get at this point in the season.
Mike Anderson will have his team continue on the path of an NCAA Tournament berth.
Prediction: Win (17-4, 7-3 Big East)
January 29 at. Villanova (4:30pm, FOX)
Another first of the season as the St. John’s basketball program will get to test themselves against the class of the conference in the Villanova Wildcats.
The biggest news of the offseason in the conference was the decision to return to school by Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Saumels as it cemented the Wildcats as the preseason favorites in the Big East this season.
St. John’s has the talent to compete with Villanova this season but pulling out the victory in a true road game against one of the best teams in the country will be a tough ask for the Johnnies.
Nonetheless, Mike Anderson’s team will have another major chance of adding a resume building win as February approaches.
Prediction: Loss (17-5, 7-4 Big East)