St. John’s men’s basketball team will compete for its fifth BIG EAST Tournament Championship when it faces UConn on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, according to a March 14 announcement. The game is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast nationally on FOX.
This matchup is significant as St. John’s aims to secure back-to-back BIG EAST Tournament titles for the first time in program history. The Red Storm has previously won four conference tournament championships and will make its seventh appearance in the championship game.
The Red Storm (27-6) reached the final after defeating Seton Hall, 78-68, in the semifinals, marking their 2,000th win in program history. Zuby Ejiofor led with 20 points, becoming the first player since Kemba Walker in 2011 to record four consecutive games of at least 20 points in the tournament. Joson Sanon contributed 15 points while Bryce Hopkins added 13 points and seven rebounds. Dillon Mitchell also had a strong performance with 13 points, six rebounds, five assists, and no turnovers.
St. John’s and UConn have met seven times before in the BIG EAST Tournament and twice previously in the championship game, each winning once against the other. The teams split their regular season meetings this year; St. John’s won at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 6 while UConn claimed victory later that month in Hartford.
The Red Storm plays home games in Queens, New York according to the official website. The team participates in the Big East Conference and uses “Red Storm” as its athletics nickname according to the official website. St. John’s has claimed six Big East Tournament championships and two National Invitation Tournament titles according to the official website.
Looking ahead, St. John’s seeks its first-ever five-game BIG EAST Tournament winning streak as it enters Saturday’s final as the top seed.
