Game thread: St. John’s vs Pittsburgh (Julian Champagnie out)

St. John’s faces Pittsburgh in a game that was intended to be a doubleheader; but Seton Hall’s COVID issues have sidelined the second matchup.

St. John’s vs Pittsburgh was intended to be a matchup of the twins, Justin Champagnie of Pitt against St. John’s Julian Champagnie. But Justin has moved on to the NBA with the Raptors, and Julian is sidelined today with a positive COVID-19 test.

Yes, you read that right.

St. John’s will go into the game missing their leading scorer, who accounts for 20 points per game and is the focus of the offense.

Will the Red Storm get Stef Smith back in the starting lineup? Or Joel Soriano against the big Pittsburgh squad? Or Aaron Wheeler, who is the closest to a like-for-like switch?

Game Information

Who: St. John’s Red Storm (Big East, 8-2) vs Pittsburgh Panthers (ACC, 3-7)

When: Saturday, December 18, 2021, 12 PM

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

TV: FS1

Odds: St. John’s -11

History: Pitt won the last matchup 63-47 on February 24, 2013 in Madison Square Garden, a real grinder; but the Johnnies lead the all time series 34-24.