Duke will visit St. John’s at Madison Square Garden in January or February of 2015, and the Johnnies will then travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium the following season, St. John’s coach Steve Lavin confirmed Monday.
It had previously been reported that the meeting next season will take place Jan. 31, but St. John’s AD Chris Monasch said no date had been finalized.
The two teams last met Jan. 28, 2012 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, with Duke holding off the Johnnies, 83-76, despite 30 points from Maurice Harkless, now with the Orlando Magic.
“It’s good for our program, for our fan base and recruiting,” Lavin said Monday. “When we play Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA, a storied program, and with our tradition and heritage in the Garden, it’s a marquee matchup.”
St. John’s recently announced the return of big man Chris Obekpa to a core that includes Rysheed Jordan, D’Angelo Harrison, Phil Greene and Sir’Dominic Pointer. The Johnnies have also added 6-11 big man Adonis Delarosa and 6-8 junior college forward Keith Thomas.
Duke lost Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood to the NBA Draft, but adds the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation, led by Chicago big man Jahlil Okafor, the MVP of the Jordan Brand Classic and McDonald’s Games, as well as point guard Tyus Jones, shooting guard Grayson Allen and wing Justise Winslow.
“I think it’s important that we play enough strong non-conference opponents to prepare us for our league, and ultimately for the NCAA Tournament,” Lavin said. “And when you play a program of Duke’s caliber, it’s going to bolster your strength of schedule, your RPI and give you a gauge of where you are as a team and all those factors are good. All those elements are important to building a team for the postseason.”
St. John’s also has a two-year deal with former Big East powerhouse Syracuse that will take them this season to the Carrier Dome.Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter And like ZAGS on Facebook
