Syracuse and St. John’s will play non-conference games beginning next season.
Drink that statement in for a minute.
The two long-time Big East rivals announced a home-and-home series for the next two seasons.
Syracuse will meet St. John’s at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013, while the Red Storm will visit the Carrier Dome the following season on a date to be determined.
“The St. John’s-Syracuse rivalry is one of the classic matchups in college basketball. Generations of our fans have looked forward to this battle each year and we are thrilled that the two programs will continue to play the next two seasons,” said Chris Monasch, St. John’s Director of Athletics.
“St. John’s and Syracuse are two of the storied programs in NCAA history, both with top 10 numbers in overall victories and winning percentage. The Johnnies and Cuse rivalry is now more than a century old and deserves to continue,” said St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin. “We are pleased to extend the series, with a date set for our home court at Madison Square Garden next season, and a 2014-15 meeting at the Carrier Dome, two of the great venues in college basketball.”
“There are traditional series that are very important to us that go beyond conference affiliations,” said Dr. Daryl Gross, Director of Athletics at Syracuse. “One of those is St John’s, which has an obvious place in Syracuse basketball history. As we continue to aggressively secure rivalries that are dear to us, we are pleased to announce the continuation of this great series between two outstanding universities.”