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Judging from Jon Rothstein's tweet this morning, and a report earlier this week, the Red Storm are beefing up the 2014-15 schedule with some solid name programs - both from the major conference ranks and the mid-major ranks.
Rothstein tweeted:
St. John's will host both Saint Mary's + Long Beach State next yr + also play Tulane at the Barclays Center, source told @CBSSports. #sjubb
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 23, 2014
Fans who were annoyed by the presence of Longwood, Bucknell and Youngstown State - and weak major conference foes in Penn State and Georgia Tech - will have a little more to get excited about - and buy tickets for.
The Red Storm will be tested early and will need to beat the lower-level teams between them and Madison Square Garden in the preseason NIT to get to the expected Gonzaga/ Minnesota/ Georgia group - meaningful games will be on the slate from the beginning of the season.
And with word that heavyweight Duke will be on the schedule at Madison Square Garden, and word that St. John's is in the preseason NIT, St. John's seems to not only be building a slate that will put fans' fannies in the seats, but a schedule that could be the decider between the NIT and the NCAA if the team does not dominate a Big East that may begin the season with only one ranked team.
No, none of these teams went to the second weekend of this year's NCAA Tournament.
But St. John's has a chance to show what the deep backcourt of Rysheed Jordan, D`Angelo Harrison, Jamal Branch and Phil Greene IV can do with the returned Chris Obekpa and more time for Sir`Dominic Pointer - plus Christian Jones, Felix Balamou, new recruit big man Adonis Delarosa, and other recruits that may join the program.
The games we know so far.
| Team |
W
|
L
|
KenPom Rank
|
Season Finish? | Conference |
| Gonzaga Bulldogs |
29
|
7
|
22
|
NCAAT 2nd Round | West Coast |
| The always-solid Zags return Przemek Karnowski, Kevin Pangos - and two Big East transfers in Angel Nunez and Gerard Coleman for next year's preseason NIT. | |||||
| Georgia Bulldogs |
20
|
14
|
72
|
NIT 2nd Round | Southeastern |
| Mark Fox hopes he has the right combination with his defensive-minded Bulldogs team, who played St. John's at the Garden in 2009. They return for the preseason NIT. | |||||
| Minnesota Golden Gophers |
25
|
13
|
48
|
NIT (Champ) | Big Ten |
| Richard Pitino's team graduates one impact senior and should be a difficult matchup in the preseason NIT. | |||||
| Long Beach State 49ers |
15
|
17
|
148
|
Big West 2nd Round | Big West |
| Went 10-6 in Big West Conference with experienced coach Dan Monson; have talented backcourt including former UCLA wing Tyler Lamb. | |||||
| Saint Mary's Gaels |
23
|
12
|
74
|
NIT 2nd Round | West Coast |
| Lost in second round of NIT; graduate a number of impact seniors but always find a way to be effective under Randy Bennett. | |||||
| Duke Blue Devils |
26
|
9
|
13
|
NCAAT Round of 64 | Atlantic Coast |
| With another class filled with HS All-Americans, plus experience in the backcourt, Duke continues to be dangerous. | |||||
| @ Syracuse Orange |
28
|
6
|
16
|
NCAAT Round of 32 | Atlantic Coast |
| St. John's returns to the Carrier Dome to play Canada's New York team, who lost in the second round of the NCAA Tourney, and lose a bunch of talent. | |||||
| Tulane Green Wave |
17
|
17
|
282
|
CBIT 1st Round | American |
| Young team moving into the American Conference, lost to Princeton by one; coach Ed Conroy is in talks to extend contract. | |||||
| CBIT - College Basketball Invitational Tournament | |||||
| NCAAT - National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament | |||||
| NIT - National Invitational Tournament | |||||
Solid slate? Or do you think this year's was better? What game are you most excited to see?