St. John's University Athletics
Saturday, February 28
New York, N.Y. (Madison Square Garden)
8 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
Villanova
No. 15/15 St. John’s to Battle RV/RV Villanova in Saturday Night Showdown on FOX
2/27/2026 3:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Johnnies aim for seventh-straight win at Madison Square Garden in matchup with the Wildcats
QUEENS, N.Y. - The No. 15/15 St. John's men's basketball team (22-6, 15-2 BIG EAST) will return to Madison Square Garden for a Saturday night showdown against RV/RV Villanova (22-6, 13-4 BIG EAST) on FOX.
St. John's will host its annual "White Out" game as all fans are encouraged to wear white to The World's Most Famous Arena. St. John's Basketball white out t-shirts will be given to all attendees seated in the lower bowl.
Limited tickets are still available for Friday's contest. To secure your seat, click here, visit RedStormTix.com, call 1-888-GO-STORM or e-mail redstormsports@stjohns.edu. St. John's will hit the hardwood in back-to-back nights at MSG as the women's team will take on No. 1/1 UConn on Sunday night at 7:30 p.m., to purchase tickets, click here.
Saturday's contest will be nationally televised on FOX with Gus Johnson and Jim Jackson on the call from Midtown Manhattan. Allison Williams will serve as the sideline reporter.
The LEARFIELD St. John's Radio Network broadcast will be available with John Minko and Brandon Tierney on 880 AM ESPN New York, the ESPN New York App, the Varsity Network, TuneIn, Sirius XM Channel 83, the SiriusXM App and the St. John's Red Storm App.
The Red Storm will look to bounce back after its 13-game winning streak was snapped on Wednesday at No. 6/6 UConn. The 13-game winning streak marked the program's longest in 41 years, when it won 19 consecutive during the 1984-85 season.
St. John's returns to its home court on a six-game winning streak inside The World's Most Famous Arena, dating back to Jan. 13. Over the last two seasons, the Johnnies have won 20 of their last 22 games at The Mecca. The Red Storm's 20 wins at MSG is the most in a two-season stretch since 1957-59, when it captured 21 wins in Midtown. In its last home game, the Red Storm routed Creighton, 81-52, for its largest margin of victory in a BIG EAST game since Feb. 18, 2022.
Zuby Ejiofor was named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Late-Season Team on Friday afternoon. The big man ranks top-11 in the BIG EAST in scoring (15.6 PPG), rebounding (7.1 RPG), assists (3.4 APG) and blocks (1.9 BPG). Fellow frontcourt teammate Bryce Hopkins is the reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week after tallying a pair of double-doubles in wins over Creighton and Marquette last week.
The Red Storm will meet its most frequently faced opponent in Villanova for the second time this season and 135th time overall. The series is deadlocked, 67-67, with the Johnnies taking four of the last five matchups. St. John's is looking to sweep the Wildcats for the second time in three seasons. Prior to 2023-24, the Johnnies had not beat Villanova twice in a regular season since 1992-93.
In the first meeting, St. John's downed Villanova, 86-79, at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Jan. 17. Hopkins (20), Ejiofor (18) and Ian Jackson (17) combined for 55 points and Dillon Mitchell posted a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double in the winning effort in Philadelphia.
For the fourth time this season, Head Coach Rick Pitino will face off with one of his former assistants. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer holds a 46-14 (.767) record against former assistant coaches. Willard, in his first as Villanova's head coach, worked for Pitino with the Boston Celtics (1997-2001) and at Louisville (2001-07).
The Wildcats sit in third place in the BIG EAST standings, two games behind the second place Red Storm. Villanova has won seven of its last eight games, most recently defeating Butler, 82-73, at Finneran Pavilion. The Wildcats are receiving votes in both the Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches polls.
Four of Villanova's five starters - Acaden Lewis (12.9 PPG), Bryce Lindsay (12.5 PPG), Tyler Perkins (13.7 PPG) and Duke Brennan (11.9 PPG) - all average double-figures in scoring. Brennan, a Grand Canyon transfer, ranks second in the BIG EAST and ninth in the country logging 10.4 rebounds per game.
Following Saturday's contest, St. John's will return to MSG for its regular season home finale when it hosts Georgetown at 7 p.m. on Senior Night.
St. John's will host its annual "White Out" game as all fans are encouraged to wear white to The World's Most Famous Arena. St. John's Basketball white out t-shirts will be given to all attendees seated in the lower bowl.
Limited tickets are still available for Friday's contest. To secure your seat, click here, visit RedStormTix.com, call 1-888-GO-STORM or e-mail redstormsports@stjohns.edu. St. John's will hit the hardwood in back-to-back nights at MSG as the women's team will take on No. 1/1 UConn on Sunday night at 7:30 p.m., to purchase tickets, click here.
Saturday's contest will be nationally televised on FOX with Gus Johnson and Jim Jackson on the call from Midtown Manhattan. Allison Williams will serve as the sideline reporter.
The LEARFIELD St. John's Radio Network broadcast will be available with John Minko and Brandon Tierney on 880 AM ESPN New York, the ESPN New York App, the Varsity Network, TuneIn, Sirius XM Channel 83, the SiriusXM App and the St. John's Red Storm App.
The Red Storm will look to bounce back after its 13-game winning streak was snapped on Wednesday at No. 6/6 UConn. The 13-game winning streak marked the program's longest in 41 years, when it won 19 consecutive during the 1984-85 season.
St. John's returns to its home court on a six-game winning streak inside The World's Most Famous Arena, dating back to Jan. 13. Over the last two seasons, the Johnnies have won 20 of their last 22 games at The Mecca. The Red Storm's 20 wins at MSG is the most in a two-season stretch since 1957-59, when it captured 21 wins in Midtown. In its last home game, the Red Storm routed Creighton, 81-52, for its largest margin of victory in a BIG EAST game since Feb. 18, 2022.
Zuby Ejiofor was named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Late-Season Team on Friday afternoon. The big man ranks top-11 in the BIG EAST in scoring (15.6 PPG), rebounding (7.1 RPG), assists (3.4 APG) and blocks (1.9 BPG). Fellow frontcourt teammate Bryce Hopkins is the reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week after tallying a pair of double-doubles in wins over Creighton and Marquette last week.
The Red Storm will meet its most frequently faced opponent in Villanova for the second time this season and 135th time overall. The series is deadlocked, 67-67, with the Johnnies taking four of the last five matchups. St. John's is looking to sweep the Wildcats for the second time in three seasons. Prior to 2023-24, the Johnnies had not beat Villanova twice in a regular season since 1992-93.
In the first meeting, St. John's downed Villanova, 86-79, at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Jan. 17. Hopkins (20), Ejiofor (18) and Ian Jackson (17) combined for 55 points and Dillon Mitchell posted a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double in the winning effort in Philadelphia.
For the fourth time this season, Head Coach Rick Pitino will face off with one of his former assistants. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer holds a 46-14 (.767) record against former assistant coaches. Willard, in his first as Villanova's head coach, worked for Pitino with the Boston Celtics (1997-2001) and at Louisville (2001-07).
The Wildcats sit in third place in the BIG EAST standings, two games behind the second place Red Storm. Villanova has won seven of its last eight games, most recently defeating Butler, 82-73, at Finneran Pavilion. The Wildcats are receiving votes in both the Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches polls.
Four of Villanova's five starters - Acaden Lewis (12.9 PPG), Bryce Lindsay (12.5 PPG), Tyler Perkins (13.7 PPG) and Duke Brennan (11.9 PPG) - all average double-figures in scoring. Brennan, a Grand Canyon transfer, ranks second in the BIG EAST and ninth in the country logging 10.4 rebounds per game.
Following Saturday's contest, St. John's will return to MSG for its regular season home finale when it hosts Georgetown at 7 p.m. on Senior Night.
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward/ Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
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