St. John’s to Host Pitt in Gotham Classic Finale at MSG

Saturday, December 18

New York, N.Y. (Madison Square Garden)

12 p.m.

St. John's University

Pittsburgh

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St. John’s to Host Pitt in Gotham Classic Finale at MSG

12/17/2021 1:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Red Storm to make 2021-22 Madison Square Garden debut on Saturday at 12 p.m. on FS1

QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's men's basketball team will make its 2021-22 Madison Square Garden debut on Saturday when it hosts former BIG EAST foe Pittsburgh at 12 p.m. The matchup, the first between the two teams since 2013, will mark the final contest of the Guaranteed Rate Gotham Classic.

The game will air live nationally on FS1 with John Fanta and Tarik Turner on the call. The LEARFIELD Red Storm Sports Network audio broadcast featuring John Minko and Brandon Tierney can be found on a variety of different platforms including The Varsity Network app, TuneIn, XM Channel 385 and channel 975 in the SiriusXM app, RedStormSports.com and the newly launched St. John's Red Storm mobile app.

Winners of three straight and seven of their last eight overall, the Johnnies (8-2) will wrap non-league play against the Panthers (3-7, 0-1 ACC). The Red Storm will look to continue a string of recent success against former BIG EAST foes that have since left the conference. Dating back to the 2014-15 campaign, St. John's is 7-0 against former league members. During that span, the Red Storm is 3-0 against Syracuse and 2-0 against Rutgers with one win apiece over West Virginia and Boston College.

St. John's will make its season debut at its second home after contesting only one game at "The World's Most Famous Arena" last year due to the COVID-19 restrictions. The Johnnies played their first game at "The Mecca" in January of 1931 and have competed in the famed building at least once every season since 1934-35. The last time the Red Storm welcomed a non-conference foe to Midtown was during 2019-20, as first-year Red Storm head coach Mike Anderson led his team to victory over previously unbeaten West Virginia, 70-68, in the BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle. As a program, St. John's is 434-304 (.589) all-time at Madison Square Garden.

Julian Champagnie, who became the 52nd player in St. John's history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark on Sunday against Colgate, enters the weekend ranked second in the league and 16th in the nation in scoring average with 20.3 points per game. The Brooklyn native has poured in 20 points or more five times in 10 opportunities, including a season-high 32 points at Indiana and 24 points against eighth-ranked Kansas. In addition to this scoring prowess, the 6-foot-8 wing is also the team's leading rebounder (6.7 rpg) and ranks second in the league with 2.1 steals per outing. Champagnie's 2.9 made 3-pointers per game are good enough for third in the BIG EAST while his 43.3 percent conversion rate from deep ranks fifth.

Only one player in the league averages more steals per game than Champagnie: his teammate and fellow Brooklyn native Posh Alexander. The reigning BIG EAST Freshman and Co-Defensive Player of the Year, Alexander is tied for 19th nationally in steals per game, a category in which he finished sixth last season. In addition to his unquestioned defensive prowess, Alexander has also taken a giant step forward in terms of his offensive production to start his sophomore season. After averaging 10.9 points per game as a freshman, Alexander has reached double figures in all nine of his appearances and currently ranks fifth in the BIG EAST with 16.4 points per outing. The Our Saviour Lutheran product is also third in the league with 5.1 assists per contest, a category in which he finished sixth (4.3 apg) as a freshman.

St. John's, which is tied for 10^th in Division I with 85.2 points per game as of Thursday, will welcome a Pitt team that is averaging just 60.5 points per outing over its first 10 contests. The Red Storm and Panthers shared common opponents over the past week and a half, as Pitt used a late 6-0 run to down Colgate on Dec. 9 before a late comeback fell short against Monmouth on Sunday.

Under the direction of fourth year head coach Jeff Capel, Pitt is winless away from the Petersen Events Center, falling in a pair of road tilts to West Virginia and Virginia.

Sophomore forward John Hugley is the team's leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 15.9 points and 8.0 boards per contest. The Cleveland native has posted four double-doubles, including a 14-point, 13-rebound effort against Monmouth on Sunday.

Brooklyn native Femi Odukale is the only other Panther averaging double figures, as the South Shore High School grad has poured in 11.3 points per contest.