St. John's University Athletics
Saturday, January 24
Cincinnati, Ohio (Cintas Center)
1:30 p.m.
St. John's University
at
Xavier
RV/No. 25 St. John’s Heads to Xavier for Saturday Afternoon Contest
1/23/2026 11:37:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Rick Pitino will go for his 900th career win against his son Richard’s Xavier team
QUEENS, N.Y. - It will be a family affair in Cincinnati as Rick Pitino's No. 25/RV St. John's men's basketball team will face off against his son, Richard's, Xavier squad on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. on TNT and truTV.
With a victory at the Cintas Center, Pitino would become just the fourth coach in NCAA Division I Men's Basketball history to record 900 career on-court collegiate victories.
Brian Anderson and Grant Hill are on the call for TNT and truTV from the Queen City. Andy Katz will serve as the sideline reporter.
The LEARFIELD St. John's Radio Network broadcast will be available with John Minko and Brandon Tierney on ESPN New York 1050 AM. The radio call will also be available on ESPN New York App, the Varsity Network, TuneIn, Sirius XM Channel 382, the SiriusXM App and the St. John's Red Storm App.
The Red Storm (14-5, 7-1 BIG EAST) has rattled off five straight wins and is off to a 7-1 start in the BIG EAST for the second straight season. On Tuesday, St. John's had its back against the wall and rallied to outscore Seton Hall, 33-13, erasing a 15-point second half deficit to secure a 65-60 win at Madison Square Garden.
The comeback triumph over the Pirates marked Pitino's 899th career on-court victory, tying him with Bob Knight for fourth all-time on the Division I wins list. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer has spent 38 seasons as a collegiate coach, accumulating his win total at seven different stops.
Saturday's father-and-son matchup will mark the fifth all-time between Rick and Richard Pitino. The elder Pitino leads the series, 3-1, including last year's 85-71 St. John's victory over New Mexico at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 17. It will mark the first time the two have squared off as conference foes, Richard is currently in his first season with the Musketeers. Fathers hold a 19-3 (.864) all-time record against their sons in NCAA Division I Men's Basketball history. The younger Pitino served as an assistant for three seasons under his dad while at Louisville (2007-09, 2011-12). Rick Pitino is 44-14 (.758) against his former assistant coaches.
Coming into Saturday's contest, the Johnnies have captured seven consecutive BIG EAST road victories, dating back to Feb. 19, 2025. The seven-game stretch is tied for the second longest in program history. St. John's won seven league games away from home during the 1997-98 season and between Feb. 3, 1982 and Jan. 11, 1983. The Red Storm's current streak is tied for the longest of any BIG EAST team since Villanova won 13-straight on the road from Jan. 31, 2015 and Feb. 9, 2016.
Since re-entering the starting five against Butler on Jan. 6, Dillon Mitchell has emerged as a major catalyst of the Red Storm's five-game winning streak. Over the last five contests, the Cincinnati transfer is averaging 9.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. The forward has posted back-to-back double-doubles for the first time since his sophomore year at Texas. He went for 17 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Seton Hall.
Bryce Hopkins has come on strong tallying double-digit scoring efforts during every contest of the five-game winning streak. The graduate student is logging 14.8 points, shooting 88.3 percent from the line and 6.0 boards per game over the last five contests. Zuby Ejiofor has dominated in conference play recording 18.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game through eight games.
St. John's has taken three of the last four meetings in the series with Xavier and leads 17-9 all-time. In its last visit to the Cintas Center, the Johnnies recorded an 82-72 victory on Jan. 7, 2025 as five players scored in double-figures.
Xavier (11-8, 3-5 BIG EAST) returns home after dropping a heartbreaker to Creighton on Wednesday, 94-93, at the CHI Health Center Omaha. Tre Carroll went for 29 points for the second straight game in the setback. Carroll, a Florida Atlantic transfer, is leading the BIG EAST averaging 17.1 points per game and has recorded seven 20-plus point outings this season.
The Musketeers have been strong at home, posting a 9-3 record inside the Cintas Center, including a pair of double-digit wins over Providence and Butler. Xavier leads the BIG EAST and ranks 10th in NCAA Division I dishing out 19.0 assists per game. The Musketeers also pace the league in 3-point percentage, shooting 36.4 percent from beyond-the-arc.
Following Saturday's contest, St. John's will return to Madison Square Garden to take on Butler at 7 p.m.
With a victory at the Cintas Center, Pitino would become just the fourth coach in NCAA Division I Men's Basketball history to record 900 career on-court collegiate victories.
Brian Anderson and Grant Hill are on the call for TNT and truTV from the Queen City. Andy Katz will serve as the sideline reporter.
The LEARFIELD St. John's Radio Network broadcast will be available with John Minko and Brandon Tierney on ESPN New York 1050 AM. The radio call will also be available on ESPN New York App, the Varsity Network, TuneIn, Sirius XM Channel 382, the SiriusXM App and the St. John's Red Storm App.
The Red Storm (14-5, 7-1 BIG EAST) has rattled off five straight wins and is off to a 7-1 start in the BIG EAST for the second straight season. On Tuesday, St. John's had its back against the wall and rallied to outscore Seton Hall, 33-13, erasing a 15-point second half deficit to secure a 65-60 win at Madison Square Garden.
The comeback triumph over the Pirates marked Pitino's 899th career on-court victory, tying him with Bob Knight for fourth all-time on the Division I wins list. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer has spent 38 seasons as a collegiate coach, accumulating his win total at seven different stops.
Saturday's father-and-son matchup will mark the fifth all-time between Rick and Richard Pitino. The elder Pitino leads the series, 3-1, including last year's 85-71 St. John's victory over New Mexico at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 17. It will mark the first time the two have squared off as conference foes, Richard is currently in his first season with the Musketeers. Fathers hold a 19-3 (.864) all-time record against their sons in NCAA Division I Men's Basketball history. The younger Pitino served as an assistant for three seasons under his dad while at Louisville (2007-09, 2011-12). Rick Pitino is 44-14 (.758) against his former assistant coaches.
Coming into Saturday's contest, the Johnnies have captured seven consecutive BIG EAST road victories, dating back to Feb. 19, 2025. The seven-game stretch is tied for the second longest in program history. St. John's won seven league games away from home during the 1997-98 season and between Feb. 3, 1982 and Jan. 11, 1983. The Red Storm's current streak is tied for the longest of any BIG EAST team since Villanova won 13-straight on the road from Jan. 31, 2015 and Feb. 9, 2016.
Since re-entering the starting five against Butler on Jan. 6, Dillon Mitchell has emerged as a major catalyst of the Red Storm's five-game winning streak. Over the last five contests, the Cincinnati transfer is averaging 9.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. The forward has posted back-to-back double-doubles for the first time since his sophomore year at Texas. He went for 17 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Seton Hall.
Bryce Hopkins has come on strong tallying double-digit scoring efforts during every contest of the five-game winning streak. The graduate student is logging 14.8 points, shooting 88.3 percent from the line and 6.0 boards per game over the last five contests. Zuby Ejiofor has dominated in conference play recording 18.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game through eight games.
St. John's has taken three of the last four meetings in the series with Xavier and leads 17-9 all-time. In its last visit to the Cintas Center, the Johnnies recorded an 82-72 victory on Jan. 7, 2025 as five players scored in double-figures.
Xavier (11-8, 3-5 BIG EAST) returns home after dropping a heartbreaker to Creighton on Wednesday, 94-93, at the CHI Health Center Omaha. Tre Carroll went for 29 points for the second straight game in the setback. Carroll, a Florida Atlantic transfer, is leading the BIG EAST averaging 17.1 points per game and has recorded seven 20-plus point outings this season.
The Musketeers have been strong at home, posting a 9-3 record inside the Cintas Center, including a pair of double-digit wins over Providence and Butler. Xavier leads the BIG EAST and ranks 10th in NCAA Division I dishing out 19.0 assists per game. The Musketeers also pace the league in 3-point percentage, shooting 36.4 percent from beyond-the-arc.
Following Saturday's contest, St. John's will return to Madison Square Garden to take on Butler at 7 p.m.
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward/ Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
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