Pirates Rematch with St. John's at MSG

Published: Saturday, March 1, 2025

by Patrick Corsello

The Seton Hall men’s basketball team (7-21, 2-15) looks to pull off the ultimate upset as it takes on No. 7 St. John’s (24-4, 16-2) at Madison Square Garden on Saturday afternoon.

The Pirates are coming off a tough 59-54 loss to the Villanova Wildcats. Seton Hall had a strong first half but struggled to maintain consistency for a full 40 minutes. The Pirates squandered a 16-point second-half lead as the game slipped away down the stretch.

Guard Dylan Addae-Wusu had a strong performance, tallying 18 points in 37 minutes. The second-year Pirate hopes to reach double figures again against the Johnnies on Saturday.

From friend to foe, the Pirates will see a familiar face on St. John’s side of the court—Kadary Richmond. The former Pirate recorded 12 points, six assists and five rebounds in the Red Storm’s first matchup against the Pirates on Jan. 18, a 79-51 blowout win.

In his three seasons with Seton Hall, Richmond started 85 games and averaged 11.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.

Though Richmond could be a key factor, he is not the only player the Pirates need to worry about in this one. RJ Luis Jr. leads the Red Storm in scoring, averaging a team-high 17.7 points per game.

Another player to worry about is Zuby Ejiofor, who currently leads St. John’s in rebounds, averaging eight per game.

It’s clear this could be an uphill battle for the Pirates, as they face the No. 1 team in the conference, which can win the BIG EAST outright for the first time since 1985 with a victory over Seton Hall.

The Pirates need all hands on deck, must play smart basketball, and leave it all on the court to pull off the upset. But one player must step up Saturday—Isaiah Coleman. He leads Seton Hall in points and rebounds per game and has been the team’s only consistent scorer.

While these teams seem to be on two very different paths heading into March, Madison Square Garden has housed some of the most shocking moments in sports history. The Pirates look to add to that list on Saturday.

The last time these two programs faced off at The Garden in a regular-season game was during the 2021-22 season, when Seton Hall defeated St. John’s 66-60 on Jan. 22, 2022.

The last time St. John’s won both regular season matchups against the Pirates dates back all the way to the 2013-14 season.

Seton Hall has won its last three regular-season games against St. John’s at MSG, dating to the 2019-20 season. St. John’s will be the home team in what will undoubtedly be a packed house at the World’s Most Famous Arena.

Spencer Gonzales and Brian Henderson will be on the call live from New York City, with tipoff set for 2:15 p.m. Pregame coverage begins at 1:45 p.m., hosted by Joe Morales and Michael Bellifemini on 89.5 FM WSOU.

Patrick Corsello is an Assistant Music Director at WSOU 89.5 FM and can be reached at patrick.corsello@student.shu.edu. 

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