Rick Pitino and the St. John’s basketball team are not hiding from anything this November.
After some bumps in the road during Pitino’s first two non-conference slates in Queens, he has put together a loaded slate for his program, which some have considered the preseason No. 1 squad in the nation.
The Red Storm head coach has called it the most difficult non-conference schedule in St. John's history.
After exhibition matchups against Townson and Michigan, it will not take long for the Johnnies to be tested with a November trip to the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas with a juicy date against Kentucky in Atlanta shortly after.
Everything is lined up to be another great season in Queens but let’s first take a look at how difficult the schedule is for St. John’s.
*NOTE: One non-conference matchup is yet to be determined and will be based on the results from the first two games during the Players Era Festival*
No. 10 Bucknell Bison (18-15, 13-5 Patriot League)
Thursday, November 20 (Carnesecca Arena)
Bucknell turned in an outstanding season a year ago, winning a share of the Patriot League regular season title, but was bounced in its opening game of the tournament by Navy and eliminated any postseason hopes.
It lost its top three scorers from a season ago and will have major questions to answer in that aspect of the game. The Bison are currently slotted at No. 282 (of 365 teams) in the Bart Torvik rankings.
This will be the final game that St. John’s plays before heading to Vegas for the Players Era Festival.
No. 9 William & Mary Tribe (17-15, 11-7 CAA)
Saturday, November 15 (Carnesecca Arena)
It was a disappointing end to what looked to be a promising season for the Tribe, losing its final four games of the year after opening conference play with an 11-4 record.
Like a lot of mid-majors, its top two scorers from last season are no longer on the roster but slides in at No. 179, according to Bart Torvik.
No. 8 Quinnipiac Bobcats (20-13, 15-5 MAAC)
Monday, November 3 (Carnesecca Arena)
In a rematch of its early season game last year, St. John’s will host Quinnipiac again after a 23-point victory, which came following a four point deficit at halftime.
In a stunning move of the offseason, Bobcats star Amarri Monroe did not transfer and opted to play his final season of college basketball at Quinnipiac, an unheard-of move for a player that could have commanded serious NIL money in the transfer portal.
St. John’s held him in check last season, missing all nine of his shots from the field, as Quinnipiac would go on to win the MAAC regular season championship before losing to Iona in the conference tournament to kill its March Madness hopes.
There will be some jitters since it’s the season opener, but St. John’s should be able to land an opening night victory in front of its home fans.
No. 7 Harvard Crimson (12-15, 7-7 Ivy)
Tuesday, December 23 (Carnesecca Arena)
In another rematch from last season, St. John’s hosts Harvard again following its 13-point victory.
The Crimson struggled again last season, failing to make the Ivy Madness and should be in a much better spot as a program under Tommy Amaker. However, the team does return its top three scorers from last season as it tries to return to the top of the Ivy League.
It’ll be the last game for the Red Storm before getting a short break for Christmas, which is always a potential trap.
No. 6 Iona Gaels (17-17, 12-8 MAAC)
Saturday, December 13 (Madison Square Garden)
Rick Pitino faces his former school for the first time since leaving the Iona and coming to St. John’s, and things have changed dramatically with the Gaels since Pitino’s departure.
Despite the Hall of Famer leaving New Rochelle only three years ago, Iona is on its second coach since then after firing Tobin Anderson following two seasons and hiring Dan Geriot, an NBA assistant coach, as its head coach.
Geriot brings a whole new roster to town, which is difficult to project how good they will be, but given his history and background in the NBA it’s safe to assume that Iona will be back at the top of the MAAC very soon.
No. 5 Ole Miss Rebels (24-12, 10-8 SEC)
Saturday, December 6 (Madison Square Garden)
There will be no rest for any (potentially) weary legs for St. John’s. After getting nearly a week off following its return from Las Vegas, the Johnnies will welcome Ole Miss into The Garden for what is being a little overlooked as a really good game given the depth of St. John's non-conference schedule.
Chris Beard is doing Chris Beard things – winning – in Oxford and don’t expect that to change anytime soon. Navigating the powerhouse SEC last season, the Rebels advanced to the Sweet 16 and will be looking to take the next step this season.
AJ Storr, who spent his freshman season at St. John’s, was one of the big transfer portal additions for Ole Miss this offseason.
While many Rebels will be hoping they are still focused on football season when this basketball game tips off, it’ll be another good test for the Red Storm to see how they match up against one of the better teams from the best conference in the sport.
No. 4 Baylor Bears (20-15, 10-10 Big 12)
Tuesday, November 25 (Michelob ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas)
Talk about a rematch, huh?
The schedule makers of the Players Era Festival knew what they were doing putting St. John’s against Baylor this year after their remarkable double overtime game from a season ago in the Baha Mar Championship which the Bears won on a buzzer beater.
However, after that euphoric victory for Baylor, the teams went in different directions. St. John’s developed into one of the best squads in the country while Baylor could never live up to its championship hype.
Now, the rosters are completely different, and it will be the second game in Las Vegas for each team. Baylor revamped everything and basically brought in an entirely new team. It’s starting five is projected to be four transfer and one freshman.
Omaha guard JJ White joined Baylor this offseason, after scoring 15 points against the Red Storm in the NCAA Tournament last season.
No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide (28-9, 13-5 SEC)
Saturday, November 8 (Madison Square Garden)
It won’t take long before St. John’s gets its first real measuring stick game of the season, hosting Alabama in its second contest of the year, but the Crimson Tide will be thinking the same thing.
While Alabama returns a handful of players from last season, it will have to find a way to replace its two most productive scorers – Mark Sears and Grant Nelson.
Labaron Philon decided to return to Tuscaloosa at the buzzer and will try and fill the role as the Tide’s top scorer. Aden Holloway will hope and create one of the most lethal backcourts in the country alongside Philon next season.
Scoring has never been a problem with Alabama in recent years under Nate Oats and do not expect anything different when they arrive in New York City.
No. 2 Iowa State Cyclones (25-10, 13-7 Big 12)
Monday, November 24 (Michelob ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas)
There aren’t many household names on the Iowa State roster outside of Tamin Lipsey, but the consistency that T.J. Otzelberger has created with the Cyclones is extremely impressive.
Iowa State is always a tough, physical team and St. John’s will look to set the tone for its week at the Player Era Festival with its opening game. It didn’t make any major splashes in the transfer portal this offseason but will rely on a batch of returners to take the next steps in their developments.
No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats (24-12, 10-8 SEC)
Saturday, December 20 (State Farm Arena, Atlanta)
Not only is this the toughest game on paper during the St. John’s non-conference schedule, it’s the game everyone has circled on their calendar for a variety of reasons.
Since Mark Pope was hired at Kentucky last spring, he talked about scheduling a game with St. John’s. Pope was the captain of Rick Pitino’s 1996 National Championship team with the Wildcats and Pitino advocated for his captain to get the job after the departure of John Calipari.
Pope got the ‘Cats to the Sweet 16 in his first season in Lexington and now has serious National Championship expectations on his shoulders this year after it was rumored that Kentucky has one of the most expensive rosters in the country that totaled around $20 million.
Add in the talent of the roster with the fact that this will be more like a road game than a neutral site game for St. John’s with the amount of Kentucky fans expected in Atlanta and it's a brutal combination.
Friends for now but enemies when their teams take the court, there will be no shortage of headlines and drama when St. John’s and Kentucky play.