St. John’s basketball lands underwhelming non-conference matchup

The St. John’s basketball team landed an underwhelming non-conference matchup. 

The schedule continues to come together for the St. John’s basketball team but the Johnnies were letdown by the schedule makers in the Big East and Big Ten Conferences.

St. John’s will host the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Gavitt Games this season, a game in which the Red Storm were hoping for another marquee non-conference opponent.

CBS Sports‘ Jon Rothstein first reported the matchups of the games.

The Johnnies visited Indiana in the Gavitt Games last season and narrowly fell to the Hoosiers after a valiant second half comeback.

St. John’s was criticized for its soft non-conference schedule a season ago when it only faced three power conference teams, Indiana, Kansas, and Pittsburgh, and lost all three games.

ALSO READ: St. John’s lands commitment from Brandon Gardner

Head coach Mike Anderson is building a schedule that is more competitive this season, but the league did not do St. John’s any favors by sending a team that has finished in last two spots of the Big Ten in each of the last four seasons to Queens this winter.

Nebraska has a total of 24 wins over the last three seasons as its head coach, Fred Hoiberg, is firmly on the hot seat.

St. John’s defeated the Cornhuskers in the Gavitt Games during the 2017-18 season, 79-56, in th only other all-time meeting between the two programs.

A date has not been announced for the game but it is likely that the matchup will be within the first two weeks of the season.

St. John’s basketball schedule taking shape

Nebraska marks the third major conference opponent St. John’s will face this season, with a fourth likely, as the Johnnies are confirmed to battle Iowa State and Florida State.

The Red Storm could face Syracuse in the Empire Classic in a championship or consolation game as Temple and Richmond also makeup the field at the Barclays Center. St. John’s and the Orange will not play each other in the first game of the event, but it is not clear who each team will play in its opener.

ALSO READ: Julian Champagnie not selected in 2022 NBA Draft

The Empire Classic will take place on November 21 and 22.

St. John’s travels to play Iowa State in the Big East vs. Big 12 Challenge on December 4 and faces Florida State in a neutral site game in the Orange Bowl Classic on December 17, despite the game being played in Sunrise, Florida.

The Johnnies will open the season against Merrimack on November 7 inside Carnesecca Arena.