No. 5/6 St. John’s Welcomes No. 15/16 Alabama to Madison Square Garden

Saturday, November 8

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

12 p.m.

St. John's University

No. 15/16 Alabama

Tickets

No. 5/6 St. John’s Welcomes No. 15/16 Alabama to Madison Square Garden

11/7/2025 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

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Red Storm and Crimson Tide will tip at 12 p.m. on FS1

QUEENS, N.Y. – No. 5/6 St. John's will host one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the young college basketball season when it welcomes No. 15/16 Alabama to Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. on FS1 with Dave Sims and Donny Marshall on the call. For the first time since 2020-21, fans can also catch the game on terrestrial radio in New York, as ESPN New York 1050 AM will carry John Minko and Brandon Tierney's call of the action. The audio broadcast can also be found on several streaming platforms including the ESPN New York app, the Varsity Network app, TuneIn, SiriusXM channel 161 or 201, and the St. John's Red Storm app.

Limited tickets to the contest are still available for purchase by clicking here. Fans can also purchase a Madison Square Garden ticket plan, which secures admission to all 12 regular season games at "The Mecca" for a sizeable discount.

Sporting its highest preseason ranking in program history, the fifth ranked Red Storm will take on a top 25 opponent in one of its first two games for the first time since kicking off the 2013-14 campaign against No. 20 Wisconsin in Sioux Falls, S.D. Saturday's matchup will be the Johnnies' first time taking on a top-15 opponent this early in a season since opening 2000-01 against No. 12 Kentucky and No. 7 Kansas in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

Last season, the Red Storm went 12-0 at Madison Square Garden and 21-0 overall in New York City. The Red Storm's active 12-game Madison Square Garden winning streak is the second longest in program history, trailing only a 14-gamer from December of 1985 to February of 1987.

Saturday will mark the Red Storm's first regular season appearance at "The Mecca" since winning the 2025 BIG EAST Tournament. Also, the BIG EAST Regular Season Champion after matching a league record with 18 conference wins, the Red Storm equaled a program record with 31 victories and won a game in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000. RJ Luis Jr. earned consensus Second Team All-America honors, Zuby Ejiofor was named to the Academic All-America Second Team and Rick Pitino took home three of the four major national coach of the year awards. All three also garnered major recognition from the conference, as Luis was named BIG EAST Player of the Year, Pitino was tabbed BIG EAST Coach of the Year and Ejiofor was named the league's most improved player.

After finishing atop the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches poll for the first time since 1991-92, St. John's officially opened its season on Monday with a lopsided 108-74 win over Quinnipiac. The Red Storm scored 54 points in each half against the preseason favorites in the MAAC, registering the program's highest point total since scoring 119 against Mississippi Valley State in the 2021-22 season opener. Cincinnati transfer Dillon Mitchell led a balanced effort for the Red Storm, scoring 18 points, grabbing seven rebounds and matching a career high with four steals. Ejiofor, the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, posted 17 points, six rebounds and three assists while North Carolina transfer Ian Jackson added 15 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting effort. Arizona State Joson Sanon chipped in 14 points while Sadiku Ibine Ayo scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting for his second career outing in double figures. Three Johnnies dished out five or more assists: Dylan Darling (6), Bryce Hopkins (5) and Oziyah Sellers (5). As a team, St. John's assisted on 25 of its 39 made baskets.

Alabama comes to New York after dispatching of North Dakota, 91-62, on Monday in Tuscaloosa. Labaron Philon Jr., an SEC All-Freshman Team selection last season, led the way with 22 points and eight assists against the Fighting Sioux. Graduate student Houston Mallette added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Crimson Tide.

Alabama played without four key contributors in its season opener on Monday: Aden Holloway, Jalil Bethea, Keitenn Bristow and Latrell Wrightsell Jr.

Alabama and St. John's will meet for the fifth time in the history of the two programs and the first since 1982. More than four decades ago, the Crimson Tide ended St. John's season in back-to-back years, defeating the Johnnies in the 1981 NIT at Alumni Hall and the 1982 NCAA Tournament at Nassau Coliseum. St. John's claimed victory in the first two matchups between the teams, a neutral site win in Hartford on Dec. 21, 1973, and a victory at The Garden on Dec. 17, 1955. Alabama was ranked inside the top 10 of the AP poll in each of those St. John's wins.

After taking on the Crimson Tide, St. John's will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 15, against William & Mary at Carnesecca Arena. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. on truTV and ESPN New York 1050 AM.