Old rivals meet again on the eve of a new year when St. John’s and host Georgetown clash Wednesday night in Washington, with Big East play getting firmly under way.
The Red Storm (8-4, 1-0 Big East) and Hoyas (9-4, 1-1), founding members of the Big East Conference in 1979, have been playing each other since 1909. It’s been one-sided as of late, with St. John’s capturing the last nine matchups — the longest winning streak in the series since the Red Storm won 10 straight from 1949-72. St. John’s also leads the series 69-57, though 40-40 in conference games.
The Hoyas will look for a spark from getting coach Ed Cooley back on the sideline. He served a one-game suspension for throwing a water bottle into the stands that struck a child immediately after time expired in an 80-77 loss at Xavier on Dec. 20.
“They know it’s going to be tough when (the players) get back, so they have to do some (work) on their own,” associate head coach Jeff Battle said on Dec. 22. “I know (Cooley) is going to be on fire when these guys get back.”
The Hoyas got the job done without Cooley in their last time out when they took down Coppin State 97-67 on Dec. 22. Julius Halaifonua collected 20 points and eight rebounds while Isaiah Abraham scored a career-high 17 points and Jayden Fort posted a career-best 15 in his first start while shooting 5-for-5 from the floor.
Georgetown tied a season high with 11 made 3s and shot 55% (33 of 60) from the floor.
Leading scorer Malik Mack (14.5 points per game) averaged 13 points and 4.5 assists in two games against the Red Storm last season.
St. John’s dropped out of the most recent Associated Press Top 25 poll after being ranked No. 5 to start the season. The Red Storm regrouped after a rough loss to Kentucky on Dec. 20 by taking down Harvard 85-59 on Dec. 23. They had four players finish in double figures, including their leading scorer this season, Bryce Hopkins (13.9 points per game), who notched 14.
Hopkins, who played under Cooley at Providence during his sophomore season, last played against the Hoyas in February 2023 when he logged only six points in a Friars road victory. Earlier that season, he dropped 17 points in a 74-62 home win.
As conference play gets under way, St. John’s knows it has a target on its back and is prepared to defend that stature.
“We know that expectations have been set, and like we said, we want to defend the (Big East title),” Red Storm senior guard Oziyah Sellers said on Monday. “We want to win games. We’re competitive, so that’s just in us naturally.”
