The St. John’s basketball non-conference schedule is beginning to fill out as the Red Storm are on the brink of landing two major games inside Madison Square Garden for the upcoming season.
The Johnnies are expected to host Arizona, coming off a Final Four appearance, on December 4 at The Mecca while also hoping to renew its rivalry with Syracuse – although the teams have not settled on a date yet.
St. John’s has not played Arizona since the 2019-20 season in which they battled the Wildcats inside the Chase Center in San Francisco as the Red Storm won, 70-67. The game was expected to be a return to the Bay Area for Golden State Warriors legend Chris Mullin but departed the program the spring prior.
It hasn’t been as long since the Johnnies met Syracuse, playing in the championship of the Empire Classic in 2022 inside the Barclays Center as it marked the fourth straight win for St. John’s over its former Big East rival.
The last time the two programs met inside Madison Square Garden was during the 2015-16 season.
St. John’s also has its second straight trip to the Players Era Festival in late November, where it will play in a 16-team bracket that also includes Alabama, Baylor, Creighton, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Kansas State, Louisville, Maryland, Miami (FL), Michigan, Oregon, San Diego State, Tennessee, TCU, and Texas Tech.
Last season, the Johnnies exited Las Vegas 1-2 in the event.
The Red Storm will also be finishing its series against Alabama with the return game in Birmingham on December 12 following its thriller in New York City last November which the Crimson Tide got the better of the Red Storm.
St. John’s played six marquee non-conference games last season and finished 2-4 against its opponents. This year, the Red Storm will be looking for a much better start to the season before it reaches a Big East Conference which is expected to be much improved.
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