Big Apple vs. Little Apple
The first St. John’s men’s basketball non-conference opponent for the 2024-25 season has been revealed, and it’s a foe from the other Manhattan.
The school announced that St. John’s is set to host Kansas State on Saturday, December 7, as part of the final Big East-Big 12 Battle. This game’s tip-off time and venue are to be announced at a later date.
This will be the third all-time meeting between St. John’s and Kansas State, and the first meeting since 1965. In that 1965 contest that was ironically played at the Kansas Jayhawks’ home court of Allen Fieldhouse, first-year head coach Lou Carnesecca’s Johnnies knocked off the Wildcats in a 72-65 win. The Wildcats won the first meeting in 1961 in Manhattan, Kansas, 63-50.
Kansas State hopes to rebound after missing the NCAA tournament in the 2023-24 season. The Wildcats finished with a 19-15 overall record and an 8-10 conference record and lost in the first round of the NIT to Iowa.
The Wildcats will have a pair of players who have great success facing the Red Storm. Former Creighton standout Arthur Kaluma is expected to return for a second season in Manhattan. Kaluma was 4-0 against St. John’s as a member of the Bluejays, averaging 14.8 points and 5.5 rebounds on 61.8% shooting against the Red Storm in those four contests.
Former Michigan guard Dug McDaniel transferred to Kansas State this spring and seeks to solidify a reputation as a “Johnny killer.” Playing for the Wolverines last season, McDaniel scored a team-high 26 points (8-of-16 FG, 2-of-6 3P) in a commanding 89-73 win over the Red Storm.
St. John’s is 2-2 in the series history, with both wins coming against West Virginia in 2019 and 2023. In the latest meeting, the Red Storm defeated the Mountaineers in Morgantown, 79-73.