http://redstormsports.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/070809aac.htmlFans will get an early glance at the Carnesecca Initiative Phase II renovations right from the jump - including the Red Storm's new high-resolution video scoreboard - on Friday, Nov. 13 as the Blackbirds of Long Island University head up the BQE for a season-opening matchup in Queens.
The Red Storm will then hit the road, traveling upstate to Rochester, N.Y., to meet St. Bonaventure in a neutral matchup in "The Flower City" at Blue Cross Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 17. The contest will mark the first between the Red Storm and Bonnies since 1985.
St. John's next participates in the third annual Philly Hoop Group Classic, beginning with a home matchup against Brown. The Bears visit Carnesecca Arena on Friday, Nov. 20 before the Red Storm travels to Philadelphia's most storied collegiate venue, the Palestra, on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. The Red Storm meets a pair of 2009 NCAA participants as part of the new two-day, tripleheader format - St. John's faces Siena in the second game of the tripleheader on Friday, Nov. 27, before facing Temple on Saturday, Nov. 28, in the nightcap.
After heading home to square off with Long Island squad Stony Brook on Wednesday, Dec. 2, the Red Storm will head south to Tobacco Road for its annual meeting with national power Duke. The Saturday, Dec. 5 tilt will mark the 12th-straight season in which the two squads have met.
After facing the Blue Devils, the Red Storm heads back to New York to make its Madison Square Garden season debut, participating in the third-annual SEC/BIG EAST Invitational. St. John's plays host to the Georgia Bulldogs on Wednesday, Dec. 9, at The Garden in a matchup that will be televised nationally on ESPN2. Fellow BIG EAST squad Connecticut will host the Kentucky Wildcats in the game that follows on ESPN as part of the doubleheader event at "The World's Most Famous Arena."
St. John's has faced only eight opponents 80 or more times as it heads into its 103rd season of basketball, and the Red Storm renew one of those rivalries on Sunday, Dec. 13 when cross-town squad Fordham makes its way into Carnesecca Arena. St. John's is 60-20 against the Rams all-time, though the two squads have not met since 2002.
St. John's looks to recapture the Aeropostale Holiday Festival crown in the second-straight pre-Christmas version of the classic event at Madison Square Garden, on Sunday and Monday, Dec. 20-21. The Red Storm meets Hofstra on Dec. 20, following a matchup between 2009 NCAA participant Cornell of the Ivy League and 2009 NIT participant Davidson of the Southern Conference. The Red Storm, which has claimed two of the last five titles, looks to hoist the trophy on Dec. 21.
Rounding out the Red Storm's non-conference schedule is a Wednesday, Dec. 23 tilt against Bryant University. St. John's faces the Bulldogs, who completed their first NCAA Division I season in 2008-09, in the final pre-Christmas meeting at Carnesecca Arena, with BIG EAST Conference play to follow after the holiday.