St. John’s updates non-conference schedule, adds scrimmage with Rutgers

Report says that St. John’s will scrimmage Rutgers.

A new era is upon St. Johns basketball, with the start of their first season under Rick Pitino only weeks away. Rutgers basketball is set to face St. John’s this season, although the game won’t count.

According to a report from the New York Post, St. John’s will face Rutgers in a preseason scrimmage. The Post is reporting that the game will be closed door and is scheduled for Oct. 21.

This is a good test for both programs. A revamped St. John’s will be a huge challenge for Rutgers. On paper, the Red Storm have as much talent as any program in the Big Ten.

And for St. John’s, this is a Rutgers team that has made the postseason in each of the last three years

As Pitino looks to turn the program around, even their non-conference schedule will have a different look than years past.

On Thursday, St. John’s announced that their schedule will include games against Michigan and West Virginia. They will also take a trip to South Carolina for the Charleston Classic. However, the biggest difference comes in their strength of schedule.

 

Once the first whistle blows on opening night St. John’s has a tough road ahead. In the Charleston Classic, they are set to face North Texas and could face LSU and Houston if everything goes according to plan. In December, they are set to face the two best mid-major schools in the area: Fordham and Hofstra.

For St. John’s, wins against non-conference teams will be critical. During the 2022-2023 campaign, they finished with an 18-15 record, including a 7-13 record against teams in the Big East. With a more challenging schedule on the horizon, wins will be at a premium.

However, it is a challenge that Pitino has been waiting for as he prepares for his first season running the show in Queens.

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