QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John’s men’s basketball team’s 2016-17 schedule was finalized Tuesday with the BIG EAST’s public release of the upcoming conference slate. The league’s broadcast schedule was also revealed, confirming all 31 Red Storm regular-season contests will be televised with 30 delivered to a national audience. As part of the league’s landmark partnership with FOX Sports, the Red Storm will appear on the broadcast network’s signature sports station FS1 17 times.
The Johnnies highly competitive slate features 15 home contests, including seven games at Madison Square Garden. St. John’s young and talented roster makes appearances at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” on six weekend dates this season, spending four Saturdays and two Sundays on center stage in Midtown Manhattan.
St. John’s will open conference play at Carnesecca Arena on Dec. 29 versus Butler before hitting the road for three of the next four. The Red Storm tips off 2017 at DePaul on New Year’s Day and then returns to Queens to host Creighton (Jan. 4), prior to a two-game road trip to Xavier (Jan. 7) and Georgetown (Jan. 9).
Defending national champion Villanova will be the Red Storm’s first conference opponent to square off with St. John’s on its home floor at MSG on Jan. 14. Two days later, the Johnnies will meet DePaul for the second time in just over two weeks as part of FS1’s five-game BIG EAST Marathon on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at Carnesecca Arena.
After stops at Seton Hall (Jan. 22) and Providence (Jan. 25), the Johnnies play three of the next four games at The Garden. Xavier comes to town on Jan. 29 followed by Marquette on Feb. 1. The Red Storm heads to Philadelphia for the rematch with Villanova at Wells Fargo Center on Feb. 4. Then St. John’s hosts local BIG EAST rival Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 11.
St. John’s heads to Butler for a Feb. 15 showdown at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse followed by a return trip to the Midwest to face Marquette six days later.
The Red Storm squares off with archrival Georgetown at MSG on Feb. 25 before heading to Omaha for its final road game at Creighton (Feb. 28). St. John’s finishes out the regular-season with Providence on March 4 at The Garden, its final tune up before the 2017 BIG EAST Tournament, which celebrates its 35th anniversary at MSG from March 8-11.
St. John’s non-conference schedule is highlighted by its first ever appearance in the Battle 4 Atlantis from Nov. 23-25 in the Bahamas, one of college basketball’s premier regular-season tournaments. The Red Storm begins the three-day event against reigning Big Ten champion Michigan State, which will mark only the third meeting between the storied college basketball programs.
The Johnnies second game at the Battle 4 Atlantis will be against another 2016 NCAA Tournament participant, either Baylor or VCU. The opposite side of the bracket includes Louisville, LSU, Wichita State and Old Dominion. The 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis field has combined for 169 NCAA Tournament appearances, including St. John’s 28 trips to the Big Dance.
St. John’s tips off the 110th season in program history on Nov. 11 at Carnesecca Arena against Bethune Cookman. Three days later, the Red Storm returns to its home court in Queens to take on Binghamton (Nov. 14) for the opening round game of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
The Red Storm travels to Minneapolis for the second annual Gavitt Tipoff Games to face Minnesota on Nov. 18, one of three Big Ten opponents on the schedule.
After returning from the Battle 4 Atlantis, St. John’s plays five of its next six games in three of New York City’s boroughs. Delaware State (Nov. 29), Cal State Northridge (Dec. 5) and Fordham (Dec. 8) come to Queens before St. John’s faces LIU Brooklyn (Dec. 11) at Barclays Center and hosts Penn State in the Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival.
St. John’s wraps up the non-conference portion of the schedule at the Carrier Dome on Dec. 21 for the 91st all-time meeting with Syracuse. It is the Red Storm’s first trip back to Central New York since downing the Orange, 69-57, on Dec. 6, 2014. Last season, Chris Mullin’s squad knocked off Final Four bound Syracuse, 84-72, at MSG.
