St. John's University Athletics
Wednesday, January 22
New York, N.Y. (Madison Square Garden)
7 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
Xavier
No. 20/21 St. John’s to Face Xavier on Wednesday Night
1/21/2025 1:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Red Storm returned to national polls heading into contest at Madison Square Garden
QUEENS, N.Y. – After returning to the national polls on Monday, the No. 20/21 St. John's men's basketball team (16-3, 7-1 BIG EAST) will host Xavier (12-7, 4-4 BIG EAST) at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.
The Red Storm returned to the national rankings on Monday on the heels of a five game winning streak and tallying victories in 11 of its last 12 contests. The Johnnies check in at No. 20 in the Associated Press poll, its highest ranking since Dec. 29, 2014 and No. 21 in the USA Today Coaches' poll.
St. John's is off to a 7-1 start in BIG EAST competition, its best since the 1998-99 campaign. The Red Storm hold sole possession of first place in the BIG EAST standings through January 20 for the first time since 1986. The Johnnies, led by National Player of the Year Walter Berry, were 5-1 in the league, half a game ahead of Syracuse and Villanova at 4-1. That team finished 31-5, shared the BIG EAST Regular Season title and won the BIG EAST Tournament.
Wednesday's contest from the World's Most Famous Arena will be broadcast nationally on FS1 with Dave Sims and Donny Marshall on the call from midtown Manhattan. Live stats will be available at RedStormSports.com.
To purchase tickets to the meeting between the Johnnies and Musketeers click here or call the box office at 1-888-GO-STORM. The first 2,500 fans will receive a St. John's drawstring bag courtesy of Ridgewood Savings Bank.
An audio broadcast of the game on the LEARFIELD Red Storm Sports Network with John Minko and Brandon Tierney will also be available on a variety of platforms including the Varsity Network App, TuneIn Radio, RedStormSports.com and the St. John's Red Storm mobile app. The radio broadcast can also be heard on SiriusXM radio channel 385 and via the SiriusXM App.
The Red Storm hold an unscathed 12-0 record when playing at home this season. St. John's joins Indiana (14) and San Francisco (12) as the only three teams in NCAA Division I to boast an undefeated mark at home through 12 games this season. The Johnnies have dominated while playing in the Big Apple winning 11 of their 12 contests by double-digits and hold a plus-18.0 scoring margin of victory on their home court. The 12-game active home winning streak ranks the ninth-longest in the country.
Last time out, the Red Storm blew past Seton Hall, 79-51, on Saturday in Newark for its largest margin of victory in the series against its local rival since 1980. St. John's defense locked down Seton Hall from the jump holding the Pirates to just 16 first half points, the lowest opening 20-minute scoring total by a Red Storm opponent since it held Rutgers to 14 on Feb. 6, 2008.
Head Coach Rick Pitino's defense has been swarming during the five-game win streak, holding opponents to just 62.2 points per game and 36.6 percent shooting from the floor during that span. The squad ranks fifth in the country in defensive efficiency, allowing just 91.9 points per 100 possessions, according to the advance metrics of KenPom.com. The Red Storm have dominated around the rim, ranking third nationally in blocks per game (6.2) and seventh in rebounding (41.9). Freshman Ruben Prey recorded five swats in the win at Seton Hall, the most by a St. John's freshman since Kassoum Yakwe tallied five against Xavier on Feb. 3, 2016.
On the opposite end, RJ Luis Jr. has led the charge offensively averaging 24.3 points per game over his last three appearances. After dropping 24 points at Seton Hall, the junior leads the team and ranks third in the BIG EAST logging 17.8 points per game. Aaron Scott has found a groove offensively logging a double-figure scoring effort in four straight games. Zuby Ejiofor holds a streak of 11 contests finishing in double-digits and remains second in the country in offensive rebounding adding 4.5 per outing.
Kadary Richmond has filled the box score as of late averaging 10.8 points, 6.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.6 steals during the Johnnies' five-game winning streak. The Brooklyn native is 12 points and one helper shy of becoming the fourth active player in NCAA Division I to record 1,500 or more career points and 600-plus total assists.
The Johnnies are seeking just their third-ever sweep of the Musketeers on Wednesday night, after taking the first meeting in Cincinnati on Jan. 7, 82-72. Luis Jr. and Ejiofor propelled the Red Storm at the Cintas Center both logging double-double efforts in the winning effort. St. John's will host Xavier at Madison Square Garden for the time since Feb. 17, 2020.
The Musketeers are coming off their most impressive week of the 2024-25 season after logging resume-building wins over Villanova and No. 7/7 Marquette. Sean Miller's squad fended off a late-game run and outlasted the Golden Eagles on Saturday, 59-57, marking its first road win an AP Top-10 opponent since it defeated then-No. 10 Seton Hall on Feb. 1, 2020. Xavier holds a 12-7 mark and 4-4 record in BIG EAST play heading to New York City.
Xavier is led offensively by Zach Freemantle (16.8 PPG) and Ryan Conwell (16.5 PPG), who rank sixth and seven in the league in scoring, respectively. Freemantle ranks fourth in the BIG EAST logging 7.8 rebounds per game. Dayvion McKnight ranks sixth in the conference dishing out 4.8 assists per game. As a team, the Musketeers has been effective in transition ranking seventh in the country averaging 17.1 fastbreak points per game.
Following Wednesday's matchup, the Red Storm will return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 28 when it heads to the nation's capital to meet Georgetown at 6:30 p.m. on FS1.
The Red Storm returned to the national rankings on Monday on the heels of a five game winning streak and tallying victories in 11 of its last 12 contests. The Johnnies check in at No. 20 in the Associated Press poll, its highest ranking since Dec. 29, 2014 and No. 21 in the USA Today Coaches' poll.
St. John's is off to a 7-1 start in BIG EAST competition, its best since the 1998-99 campaign. The Red Storm hold sole possession of first place in the BIG EAST standings through January 20 for the first time since 1986. The Johnnies, led by National Player of the Year Walter Berry, were 5-1 in the league, half a game ahead of Syracuse and Villanova at 4-1. That team finished 31-5, shared the BIG EAST Regular Season title and won the BIG EAST Tournament.
Wednesday's contest from the World's Most Famous Arena will be broadcast nationally on FS1 with Dave Sims and Donny Marshall on the call from midtown Manhattan. Live stats will be available at RedStormSports.com.
To purchase tickets to the meeting between the Johnnies and Musketeers click here or call the box office at 1-888-GO-STORM. The first 2,500 fans will receive a St. John's drawstring bag courtesy of Ridgewood Savings Bank.
An audio broadcast of the game on the LEARFIELD Red Storm Sports Network with John Minko and Brandon Tierney will also be available on a variety of platforms including the Varsity Network App, TuneIn Radio, RedStormSports.com and the St. John's Red Storm mobile app. The radio broadcast can also be heard on SiriusXM radio channel 385 and via the SiriusXM App.
The Red Storm hold an unscathed 12-0 record when playing at home this season. St. John's joins Indiana (14) and San Francisco (12) as the only three teams in NCAA Division I to boast an undefeated mark at home through 12 games this season. The Johnnies have dominated while playing in the Big Apple winning 11 of their 12 contests by double-digits and hold a plus-18.0 scoring margin of victory on their home court. The 12-game active home winning streak ranks the ninth-longest in the country.
Last time out, the Red Storm blew past Seton Hall, 79-51, on Saturday in Newark for its largest margin of victory in the series against its local rival since 1980. St. John's defense locked down Seton Hall from the jump holding the Pirates to just 16 first half points, the lowest opening 20-minute scoring total by a Red Storm opponent since it held Rutgers to 14 on Feb. 6, 2008.
Head Coach Rick Pitino's defense has been swarming during the five-game win streak, holding opponents to just 62.2 points per game and 36.6 percent shooting from the floor during that span. The squad ranks fifth in the country in defensive efficiency, allowing just 91.9 points per 100 possessions, according to the advance metrics of KenPom.com. The Red Storm have dominated around the rim, ranking third nationally in blocks per game (6.2) and seventh in rebounding (41.9). Freshman Ruben Prey recorded five swats in the win at Seton Hall, the most by a St. John's freshman since Kassoum Yakwe tallied five against Xavier on Feb. 3, 2016.
On the opposite end, RJ Luis Jr. has led the charge offensively averaging 24.3 points per game over his last three appearances. After dropping 24 points at Seton Hall, the junior leads the team and ranks third in the BIG EAST logging 17.8 points per game. Aaron Scott has found a groove offensively logging a double-figure scoring effort in four straight games. Zuby Ejiofor holds a streak of 11 contests finishing in double-digits and remains second in the country in offensive rebounding adding 4.5 per outing.
Kadary Richmond has filled the box score as of late averaging 10.8 points, 6.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.6 steals during the Johnnies' five-game winning streak. The Brooklyn native is 12 points and one helper shy of becoming the fourth active player in NCAA Division I to record 1,500 or more career points and 600-plus total assists.
The Johnnies are seeking just their third-ever sweep of the Musketeers on Wednesday night, after taking the first meeting in Cincinnati on Jan. 7, 82-72. Luis Jr. and Ejiofor propelled the Red Storm at the Cintas Center both logging double-double efforts in the winning effort. St. John's will host Xavier at Madison Square Garden for the time since Feb. 17, 2020.
The Musketeers are coming off their most impressive week of the 2024-25 season after logging resume-building wins over Villanova and No. 7/7 Marquette. Sean Miller's squad fended off a late-game run and outlasted the Golden Eagles on Saturday, 59-57, marking its first road win an AP Top-10 opponent since it defeated then-No. 10 Seton Hall on Feb. 1, 2020. Xavier holds a 12-7 mark and 4-4 record in BIG EAST play heading to New York City.
Xavier is led offensively by Zach Freemantle (16.8 PPG) and Ryan Conwell (16.5 PPG), who rank sixth and seven in the league in scoring, respectively. Freemantle ranks fourth in the BIG EAST logging 7.8 rebounds per game. Dayvion McKnight ranks sixth in the conference dishing out 4.8 assists per game. As a team, the Musketeers has been effective in transition ranking seventh in the country averaging 17.1 fastbreak points per game.
Following Wednesday's matchup, the Red Storm will return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 28 when it heads to the nation's capital to meet Georgetown at 6:30 p.m. on FS1.
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard/Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard/Forward
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