Top-Seeded St. John’s to Face Fourth-Seeded Seton Hall in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals

Friday, March 13

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

5:30 p.m.

St. John's University

Seton Hall

The top-seeded St. John's men's basketball team opened its BIG EAST Tournament with a 85-72 win over the ninth-seeded Providence Friars on Thursday afternoon. With the victory is the program now sits at 1,999 wins as a program.

Top-Seeded St. John’s to Face Fourth-Seeded Seton Hall in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals

3/12/2026 5:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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The Red Storm and Pirates will square off at 5:30 p.m. inside Madison Square Garden on FOX

NEW YORK – The top-seeded St. John's men's basketball team (26-6) will make its third BIG EAST Tournament semifinal appearance in as many years under Head Coach Rick Pitino on Friday in Midtown Manhattan. The Red Storm will face fourth-seeded Seton Hall (21-11) in an old-school BIG EAST showdown inside Madison Square Garden at 5:30 p.m. on FOX.

FOX Sports announcers Gus Johnson and Jim Jackson along with sideline reporter Allison Williams will be on the call from The World's Most Famous Arena. Westwood One Sports will carry the national radio broadcast with Scott Graham and PJ Carlesimo.

The LEARFIELD St. John's Radio Network broadcast will be available with John Minko and Brandon Tierney on 1050 AM ESPN New York, the ESPN New York App, the Varsity Network, TuneIn, Sirius XM Channel 117, the SiriusXM App and the St. John's Red Storm App.

St. John's improved to 9-1 all-time as the top-seed in the BIG EAST Tournament with an 85-72 victory over ninth-seeded Providence on Thursday. BIG EAST Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor made conference tournament history becoming the only player since its inception to record 20-points, 10-rebounds, five-assists and three-blocks in a game. Bryce Hopkins complemented the play of the Red Storm's big man, posting 14 points and 13 rebounds against the Friars.

On Thursday, the Johnnies matched a season-high with 51 rebounds and grabbed 18 offensive boards against the Friars. The Red Storm's frontcourt trio of Ejiofor all average more than 6.1 rebounds per contest.

On Friday, the Johnnies aim to advance to the BIG EAST Tournament Championship Game for the second-straight season and seventh time overall. St. John's cruised through the 2025 edition of the marquee conference tournament in New York City averaging a 17.7-point margin of victory en route to its first BIG EAST title in 25 years. Additional, Pitino looks to lead his team to the BIG EAST Final for the fifth time in his last six seasons coaching in the league. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer previously led Louisville to the title contest in the Cardinals' last three seasons in the BIG EAST from 2011-2013.

The Johnnies are set to square off with a fellow original BIG EAST member, Seton Hall, for the sixth time in conference tournament history. St. John's downed the Pirates, 91-72, in their last postseason meeting on March 14, 2024, behind a team-high 18-point, nine-rebound performance from RJ Luis Jr. In the prior postseason contest in the 2021 BIG EAST Tournament, Seton Hall came out the victors in overtime, upending the Red Storm, 77-69.

Just seven days removed from their last meeting, St. John's and Seton Hall will square off for the 118^th time in a series that began in 1909. The Red Storm swept the regular season series with the Pirates, most recently securing its second-consecutive BIG EAST Regular Season title on Friday in Newark. Ejiofor powered the Johnnies with 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting from the field and a 5-for-6 effort from the charity stripe. In their first meeting on Jan. 20 at MSG, the Red Storm grinded out at 65-60 victory behind Dillon Mitchell's 17-point, 11-rebound and two-steal performance.

The Johnnies and Pirates will face off in the semifinals for the first time in the programs' history. In 1986, St. John's defeated Seton Hall in the quarterfinal round, 87-68, in their first BIG EAST Tournament meeting, which started the Johnnies run to their second league title.

On Friday, St. John's also looks to become just the eight program in NCAA Division I history to reach the 2,000^th win milestone, as the Johnnies continue to reestablish the program as a national power.

The Pirates are led by BIG EAST Coach of the Year Shaheen Holloway and opened the BIG EAST Tournament with a 72-61 triumph over fifth-seeded Creighton on Thursday afternoon. Jacob Dar and Budd Clark paced Seton Hall with 16 points apiece.