St. John’s and Syracuse are scheduled to face off for the 93rd time in their respective histories this weekend.
The game marks the first meeting between the programs in four years and their first contest at Madison Square Garden in 11 years, according to Yahoo Sports reporting.
While Syracuse maintains a 51-41 lead in the all-time series, St. John’s has won the last four matchups dating back to 2014.
The Red Storm previously defeated the Orange in a 76-69 overtime game, noted by Rumble in the Garden.
St. John’s enters the matchup seeking a 4-0 start under head coach Rick Pitino.
The team has relied on strong perimeter shooting recently, hitting 43.1% of their three-point attempts over the last two games.
Junior guard Lefteris Liotopoulos has contributed to this depth, averaging 8.7 points per game off the bench.
Point guard Quinn Ellis has also emerged as a key playmaker, leading the Big East with 9.0 assists and 4.0 steals per game.
Syracuse is led by first-year head coach Gerry McNamara, a former program icon who previously coached at Siena.
McNamara has brought a defensive focus to the Orange, utilizing players like Gavin Doty, who averages 8.3 rebounds per game.
The Syracuse roster also features defensive specialist Garwey Dual and forward Sadiq White, who provides athleticism in the paint.
White, a former top-30 recruit, currently averages 11.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game for the Orange.
The frontcourt is bolstered by center Luke Wilson, a transfer who previously won the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year award.
The game also features Kiyan Anthony, the son of former Syracuse star Carmelo Anthony, looking to make an impact on the Madison Square Garden court.
Previous notable performances at the venue include an 84-72 St. John’s victory where the team buried eleven triples, as documented by Rumble in the Garden.
The upcoming contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on Peacock.