Red Storm Rolls into BIG EAST Opener against Seton Hall

QUEENS, N.Y. – One of just five unbeaten teams remaining in the nation and off to the program's best start in 36 years, the St. John's men's basketball team will kick off conference play on Saturday evening against longtime BIG EAST rival Seton Hall at the Prudential Center.

Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on FSN and 570 AM WMCA. The game will be televised locally on YES Network in the New York Metropolitan Area.

The Johnnies will kick off their 40th season of BIG EAST play on the heels of 12-consecutive wins to start the campaign, the highest total in program history since the 1982-83 squad tied a school record with 14-straight victories to begin the year. Led by sophomore and eventual BIG EAST Player of the Year Chris Mullin, that team went on to win 28 games overall and the Johnnies' first BIG EAST Tournament title.

St. John's is 19-20 all-time in BIG EAST openers heading into Saturday's matchup with Seton Hall. The Red Storm and the Pirates will meet for the 100th time in the history of the two programs, a series dating back to 1909 in which the Johnnies currently hold a 59-40 advantage. Seton Hall has had the Red Storm's number in Newark as of late, winning each of the last four games contested between the two teams at the Prudential Center.

The undefeated Red Storm has cruised into conference play, recently wrapping up a five-game homestand that saw the Johnnies average 87.4 points per outing and outscore their opponents by an average margin of 20. During those five home wins, four of which came at Carnesecca Arena, the Red Storm shot 53.0 percent from the floor and 44.8 percent from three-point range. The Red Storm capped off its home stretch with its most potent offensive performance in half a decade, dropping 104 points on Sacred Heart thanks in large part to a program-record 17 made 3-pointers. The outburst marked the team's highest scoring effort since posting 104 against Fordham in December of 2013 at Madison Square Garden. The last time a Red Storm team tallied a higher point total came all the way back in January of 1999 during a 115-70 drubbing of Niagara in what was then known as Alumni Hall. The Johnnies would go on to reach the Elite Eight that year.

Marvin Clark II earned his first career BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll nod at the conclusion of the Red Storm's homestand after scoring 23 points and nailing a career-high six triples in the first half of the Johnnies' win over Sacred Heart. During those five wins, Clark averaged a team-best 16.6 points per game on 61.9 percent shooting, including a 16-of-29 showing from three-point range (55.2%). On the year, St. John's has made 40.1 percent of its chances from distance, good enough for second in the league behind Creighton. Three Johnnies are shooting 43 percent of better from three-point range, led by Mustapha Heron at 48.9 percent. Heron, who converted on 33.1 percent of his chances from deep last year at Auburn, sank five of his six tries from beyond the arc last Saturday, setting a new career high for triples in a game.

BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year Shamorie Ponds has also experienced a resurgence of sorts from deep, shooting 37.5 percent from distance this season after sinking just 25.3 percent of his chances a year ago. Ponds' reemergence from downtown has also been accompanied by an explosion in other statistical categories, as the Brooklyn native leads the league in assists (6.0 per game), assist-to-turnover ratio (3.8-to-1) and steals (2.5 per game). Over his last three outings, Ponds has dished out 28 assists and surrendered just three turnovers while averaging a touch under 14 points per game. While Ponds has made it a point of emphasis to get his teammates more involved this season, the smooth southpaw can still pour it in when needed. Entering conference play, Ponds already boasts three 30-point efforts, all of which have come at neutral sites, and six 20-point showings.

Seton Hall received votes in both polls this week following an impressive conclusion to non-conference play, knocking off Maryland in College Park after downing then-No. 9 Kentucky at Madison Square Garden earlier in December. The winners of five-straight decisions, the Pirates also toppled a common opponent of St. John's during that stretch, defeating Rutgers, 72-66, in a rivalry game at The Rock on Dec. 15. The Red Storm ran away from the Scarlet Knights, 84-65, in Piscataway during November's Gavitt Tipoff Games.

After losing a decorated senior class to graduation this past spring, that Pirates, who were picked to finish eighth in the conference, have outpaced expectations thanks in large part to the play of junior guard Myles Powell. The Garden State native ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring at 23.1 points per contest in addition to grabbing two steals per game. Powell is the only Pirate averaging double figures, but the four other everyday starters all average 8.8 points per outing or better.

Red Storm Rolls into BIG EAST Opener against Seton Hall

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Players Mentioned

Marvin Clark II

Mustapha Heron

Shamorie Ponds

St. John's University Athletics