The complete schedule for the 2018 Legends Classic was officially released on Tuesday, featuring a semifinal matchup between the St. John’s Men’s Basketball team and Cal on Monday, Nov. 19, at Barclays Center. Temple and VCU will square off on the opposite side of the bracket and the winners will meet the following night in Brooklyn in the title contest of the 12th annual event. A consolation game will precede the championship tilt.
St. John’s pairing with the Golden Bears in the Legends Classic will mark the Red Storm’s first-ever matchup with the Pac-12 foe. On the second day of the marquee early-season event, the Johnnies will either rekindle their rivalry against Temple or square off with VCU for just their second meeting in series history. Dating back to 1931, St. John’s owns a 32-21 record against the Owls, while a meeting with the Rams would be their second in the last three years.
Prior to making the short trip to Brooklyn, the Red Storm will host a pair of Legends Classic regional round games at Carnesecca Arena. St. John’s will welcome Loyola Maryland to Queens on Tuesday, Nov. 6, for its 2018-19 season opener. Three days later, the Johnnies will host Bowling Green on Friday, Nov. 9.
Tickets for the Championship Rounds at Barclays Center can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. All four games of the Championship Rounds will air on ESPN networks.
St. John’s carries an exciting mixture of returning talent and highly touted newcomers heading into 2018-19. Led by the BIG EAST’s leading scorer last season in Shamorie Ponds, the Johnnies return four players that saw significant minutes in a 2017-18 campaign that featured a pair of wins against top-five foes. Justin Simon and Marvin Clark II combined to average nearly 25 points a season ago while Bryan Trimble Jr. demonstrated dangerous range during his freshman season.
The Red Storm will welcome seven newcomers in 2018-19, including former five-star recruit Mustapha Heron, who recently transferred to St. John’s after scoring more than 1,000 points in two seasons at Auburn. Mikey Dixon and Sedee Keita are set to make their Red Storm debuts after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer regulations, along with JUCO All-American LJ Figueroa. The Johnnies will look to three true freshmen to make contributions in their rookie campaigns, as Marcellus Earlington, Josh Roberts and Greg Williams Jr. are primed to take the court at Carnesecca Arena for the first time this fall. In addition to Heron, the Red Storm welcome two more transfers in former top 100 recruit Eli Wright from Mississippi State and 2017-18 Southland Conference Freshman of the Year David Caraher from Houston Baptist.
For more information on St. John’s Men’s Basketball and the rest of the Red Storm Athletics Department fans are encouraged to click on the link seen here: