St. John’s men’s basketball schedules home-and-home series with Arizona

Q: When does St. John's play Arizona in their home-and-home series?

St. John's will play Arizona at Madison Square Garden on December 5, 2026, and the return game will be in Phoenix during the 2027-28 season.

Q: Who is the head coach of Arizona men's basketball?

Tommy Lloyd is the head coach of Arizona men's basketball, having led the team to multiple successful seasons.

Q: What notable players are leaving Arizona after their Final Four run?

Arizona is losing key players including five-star freshmen Koa Peat and Brayden Burries, along with seniors Jaden Bradley, Tobe Awaka, and Anthony Dell’Orso.

STORRS, CONNECTICUT - NOVEMBER 19: Koa Peat #10, Brayden Burries #5, Ivan Kharchenkov #8, Anthony Dell'Orso #3 and Motiejus Krivas #13 of the Arizona Wildcats huddle up against the Connecticut Huskies during the first half of an NCAA men's basketball game at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on November 19, 2025 in Storrs, Connecticut. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images) | Getty Images Last season, St. John’s took on a monstrous non-conference slate against teams like Iowa State, Alabama, and Kentucky. Although they weren’t able to pick up a signature victory before Big East play started, that isn’t deterring them from taking on top competition in their upcoming schedule. First reported by Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, the Red Storm have agreed to face Arizona in a home-and-home series that begins in the 2026-27 season. St. John’s would play the first leg at Madison Square Garden on December 5 as part of the Naismith Hall of Fame series this season, then travel to Phoenix for the return game in the 2027-28 season. Fresh off their first Final Four appearance in a quarter-century, Arizona is primed to make another deep run in the NCAA Tournament this upcoming season. Led by head coach Tommy Lloyd, the Wildcats have won 24 or more games each year he’s been in charge, and have made the Sweet Sixteen in four of his first five seasons. There was a lot of smoke to the rumors that Lloyd would take the North Carolina head coaching job after Hubert Davis’s firing, but that will keep him in Tucson for the foreseeable future. Even though Arizona is losing tons of talent integral to their Final Four team, like five-star freshmen Koa Peat and Brayden Burries, as well as important seniors , , and Anthony Dell’Orso, they retain potential preseason All-Americans Motiejus Krivas (10.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in 2025-26) and Ivan Kharchenkov (10.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg) for another year. Lloyd bolstered the Wildcats’ backcourt with a pair of transfers, adding rising sophomores Derek Dixon from North Carolina (6.5 ppg, 2.7 assists per game) and J.J. Mandaquit from Washington (5.2 ppg, 3.2 apg) this offseason. Joining the team from the high school ranks are shooting guard Caleb Holt, the third-ranked player in the class of 2026, and top-30 freshman small forward Cameron Holmes. As their non-conference schedule currently stands, St. John’s will face Alabama in Birmingham one week after their date with the Wildcats on December 12, and would play a minimum of three games in the Players’ Era Festival in Las Vegas in November.