St. John's Basketball Playing All Big East Games at MSG Proves Narrative Has Changed

The St. John's Red Storm will be playing all of their home games in the Big East at MSG. This proves the narrative for the program has changed.

Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino reacts in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As the college basketball season gets closer, the schedule for the St. John’s Red Storm is starting to take shape. Recently, a big development was announced in regards to where the team will be playing their home games in the Big East. 

When Rick Pitino came in to coach St. John’s, his goal was to restore this program back to their glory days. Prior to Pitino arriving, there had been a lot of bad years for the program, and there was a concern that the Red Storm would never be a contender again. 

However, bringing in Pitino changed the program in the blink of an eye. In the last two years, they have been able to win at least 30 games and made the NCAA Tournament both years. With a trip to the Sweet 16 last season, they are hoping to build on that this coming year. 

While there will be a fair amount of uncertainty about who is going to be eligible for the program, they do know where they will be playing all of their Big East home games. That will be at Madison Square Garden. 

All Home Games at MSG in Big East Will Be Significant

Source: St. John's will play all 10 of its Big East games at MSG during the 2026-27 season, starting with its league opener against DePaul on Saturday, December 19th.

This will be an evening game since the CBS Sports Classic is being played during the day on 12/19.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) September 11, 2026

With the schedule starting to get set for St. John's, the announcement that all of their Big East games will be at MSG is a big deal for the program. When Pitino came in as the coach, he wanted the team to be playing more at MSG. The Garden isn’t called The Mecca for no reason, and for recruiting purposes and also a home court advantage, more games there are good for the program. 

As the schedule starts to trickle out, one of the biggest games will be on Friday, January 29th. On that night, St. John’s will be playing Danny Hurley and the UConn Huskies. 

This is certainly the main competition for the program in the Big East, and this is a game to circle on the calendar. With the New York Rangers, New York Knicks, and always a ton of concerts, MSG is the place to be, and it is great to see all of their Big East games being there. 

As the program looks to take another step forward, this is a significant development for them. Hopefully, this will be the norm going forward for the program. Offering college players the opportunity to play in the World’s Most Famous arena for their home games is a great selling point and one that helps create long-term success.