The stage is set: the St. John’s Men’s basketball team now knows all of its opponents for the highly anticipated 2025-26 season.
Last year, the Red Storm captured national attention by tying their franchise record for wins from the 1999-2000 season with a 31-5 record, claiming their first Big East trophy since that same season. Rick Pitino earned National Coach of the Year honors and RJ Luis Jr. was named Big East Player of the Year.
The team also added top talent from the transfer portal, widely regarded as the best in the nation per 247Sports.
The Red Storm first made headlines by acquiring North Carolina guard Ian Jackson and then turning former conference foe Bryce Hopkins into a Johnnie. Both players are expected to complement returning star Zuby Ejiofor in the team’s starting lineup.
For the fifth straight year, the Red Storm will open Big East play at Carnesecca Arena, hosting DePaul on December 16, in a matchup they dominated last season with an 89-61 win. Early games also include New Year’s Eve against Georgetown, followed by Butler and Providence, teams St. John’s swept in 2024.
The matchup against Providence (Jan 3) will also serve as a “homecoming” for St. John’s transfer Bryce Hopkins. The forward spent three seasons with the Friars, averaging 15 points in 34 minutes per game.
February brings one of the toughest stretches of the season. Pitino’s squad will host UConn on Feb. 6 and travel to Hartford three weeks later for the rematch. During this stretch, the Red Storm will also be on the road for two toughtough matchups with Providence (Feb 14) and Marquette (Feb 18), then returning home for a contest against Creighton (Feb 21).
A marquee matchup arrives on Feb. 9, when Pitino will face his son Richard Pitino’s Xavier team at Madison Square Garden, a Big East rivalry that already saw the Red Storm visit the Musketeers on Jan. 24.
The closing stretch looks more favorable for the Johnnies. Three of their last five games will be played at MSG, including their season finale on a Friday against Seton Hall on March 6.
This season, St. John’s will play 13 games at MSG, the most ever in a single campaign. Not only will all of their Big East home games take place at the Garden, but their non-conference schedule features marquee matchups as well.. WelcomingWelcoming Alabama, Iona, and Ole Miss to the Garden in to the Garden in all potential “must-watch” contests.
Last season, the Red Storm played just one non-conference game at MSG, a showdown against New Mexico where the two Pitinos faced off and St. John’s won 85-71.
St. John’s and MSG have had a long-standing relationship. Since 1931, the world-famous arena has rented its space to the University for basketball games. With the program’s recent rise in popularity, discussions have emerged about moving beyond a rental agreement, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post. While MSG will always prioritize the schedules of the New York Knicks and Rangers, could the Red Storm one day make the Garden their permanent home?
Pitino came close to realizing that dream this season. Nine of the team’s 10 Big East home games will be played in New York City, just shy of the full slate, but still, a monumental step in the right direction as St. John’s continues its rapid ascent into the conversation as one of the nation’s elite programs.
