Game 14: Georgetown Hoyas (9-4, 1-1) vs. St. John’s Red Storm (8-4, 1-0)
When: Wednesday, December 31 at 8:00 PM ET
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
TV: FS1 (Ed Cohen and Phil Martelli)
Radio: Team 980 AM, Sirius XM 385 (Rich Chvotkin)
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Series: St. John’s leads 69-57 all-time. The Red Storm have won 9 straight meetings.
Streaks: Georgetown has won 3 of its last 4 games. St. John’s has won 9 consecutive games against Georgetown.
Net Rankings: St. John’s 20, Georgetown 104
Betting Odds: St. John’s -8.5, O/U 152.5
Moneyline: St. John’s -375, Georgetown +290
The Johnnies Report
St. John’s returns to the rankings (No. 25 Coaches Poll) after destroying Harvard 85-59. They are 1-0 in the Big East after beating DePaul earlier in December. Pitino’s squad excels in transition and gets to the free-throw line more than any other team in the conference.
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The Red Storm (8-4, 1-0) brings a balanced and dangerous offensive attack with five different players averaging double figures. Bryce Hopkins leads the team with 13.9 points per game. While he may not be as consistent as he was under Cooley, Hopkins can be a matchup nightmare who can score inside and out.
Zuby Ejiofor is arguably their most critical piece. He averages 13.8 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds. More concerning for Georgetown’s guards, he is an elite rim protector, averaging 2.5 blocks per game (14th nationally). He also leads the team in assists (2.8 apg), making him a hub for their offense.
The backcourt features plenty of scoring punch with Ian Jackson (11.6 ppg), Joson Sanon (10.7 ppg), and Oziyah Sellers (10.6 ppg). Jackson and Sanon provide the speed that fuels Pitino’s system.
Pitino wants this game to be a track meet. St. John’s ranks 11th in the nation in fastbreak points, averaging 18.3 per game. If Georgetown turns the ball over or takes bad shots, the Johnnies will punish them in transition immediately.
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Perhaps the most critical stat to watch is the free-throw line. St. John’s is excellent at drawing contact, leading the Big East in both free throw attempts (27.9) and makes (20.8) per game.
Georgetown’s bigs—especially Julius Halaifonua—must stay disciplined to avoid foul trouble.
St. John’s plays their first true road game of the season when they head to the nation’s capitol and face Georgetown (#SJUBB)
Here is our game preview:https://t.co/4beZrkPMwa
— Rumble In The Garden (@rumbleSBN) December 31, 2025
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Your Georgetown Hoyas have a massive opportunity to ring in 2026 with a signature victory tonight as they host the No. 25 St. John’s Red Storm at Capital One Arena.
Georgetown enters this New Year’s Eve clash fresh off a 97-67 drubbing of Coppin State. Julius Halaifonua dominated that contest with 20 points, and the Hoyas saw five players reach double figures. The balance has been a strength all season. Malik Mack leads the scoring effort with 14.5 points per game, but KJ Lewis is right behind him at 14.3. Lewis has been a menace on defense, leading the Big East with 2.2 steals per outing.
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The challenge tonight is significant. St. John’s (8-4, 1-0) arrives ranked in the Coaches Poll and led by Rick Pitino. The Johnnies play at a breakneck pace, ranking 11th nationally in fastbreak points. They have had Georgetown’s number recently, winning nine straight meetings. The last Hoya victory in this series came back in December 2020. St. John’s forward Bryce Hopkins (13.9 ppg) and center Zuby Ejiofor (13.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg) present difficult matchups in the frontcourt.
A win tonight would snap the losing streak to the Red Storm and push the Hoyas above .500 in conference play. It would be a strong signal that the rebuild is continuously moving forward.
More importantly, it may be a chance to see some new/old faces on the floor in Vince Iwuchukwu (warming up) and Gabriel Landeira (just announced as joining the team).
