Michigan
St. John's (ex)
Wolverines to Take on St. John's at Madison Square Garden
10/23/2025 8:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The seventh-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team will travel to New York City to face No. 5 St. John's in the Bad Boy Mowers Series: New York exhibition on Saturday (Oct. 25) at Madison Square Garden, the World's Most Famous Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., with coverage available on B1G+. The Big Ten Network production will feature Bob Brainerd (play-by-play) and Brian Butch (analyst) on the call.
Notes
• Michigan and St. John's have squared off six times, with the Red Storm holding a narrow 4-2 edge in the all-time series. The Wolverines made a statement in the most recent meeting, rolling to an 89-73 victory at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 13, 2023. The matchup also carries historic weight -- in 1965, St. John's stunned No. 1-ranked Michigan, 75-74, in one of the Garden's signature upsets.
• Michigan has a storied history at Madison Square Garden, boasting a 26-12 all-time record on one of college basketball's biggest stages. The Wolverines captured three NIT titles (1984, 1997, 2004) and the 2018 Big Ten Tournament crown -- their second straight -- during an 11-game win streak at the Garden that spanned more than a decade. That run was snapped with an 89-87 loss to Arkansas in the 2024 Jimmy V Classic (Dec. 10).
• St. John's opens the 2025-26 season ranked No. 5 in the AP Poll and No. 6 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, entering as the preseason favorite in the Big East. The Red Storm are coming off a 31-5 campaign that included an 18-2 conference mark and both the Big East regular-season and tournament titles. St. John's reached the NCAA Tournament second round before falling to Arkansas, 75-66.
• The Red Storm opened exhibition play with a 73-63 victory over Towson on Saturday (Oct. 18) at Carnesecca Arena in Queens, N.Y. Bryce Hopkins led St. John's with 13 points, while Zuby Ejiofor added 12 points and nine rebounds. The Red Storm built a double-digit first-half lead and maintained control throughout, holding Towson to 37 percent shooting and forcing 16 turnovers.
• Zuby Ejiofor was named the Big East Preseason Player of the Year. He is joined on the Preseason All-Big East First Team by Hopkins. Ian Jackson earned Second Team honors, while Dillon Mitchell and Joson Sanon were selected to the Third Team.
• Freshman Imran Suljanovic dislocated his patella during a preseason practice. His recovery timeline is expected to be four to five months; however, he has been officially ruled out for the 2025-26 season.
• In its exhibition opener, Michigan rallied from a 20-point deficit but came up just short, falling to Cincinnati, 100-98, on Friday night (Oct. 17) at Crisler Center. After trailing 52-34 at the break, the Wolverines surged in the second half with a 64-48 advantage, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome. Yaxel Lendeborg led U-M with 31 points and 12 rebounds, while Roddy Gayle Jr. added 18 points, and Elliot Cadeau filled the stat sheet with 15 points, five rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
• In his second season at the helm, head coach Dusty May aims to build on an impressive debut campaign in Ann Arbor. In his first year, May guided Michigan to a 27-10 record, including a 14-6 mark in Big Ten play, earning the No. 3 seed at the conference tournament. The Wolverines rattled off three straight wins to claim their fourth Big Ten Tournament title with a 59-53 victory over Wisconsin. U-M went on to earn a No. 5 seed in the NCAA South Regional and advanced to its sixth straight Sweet 16 before falling to top-seeded Auburn.
• Michigan will raise its 2025 Big Ten Tournament championship banner in the regular-season opener against Oakland on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The first 5,000 fans will be able to grab a replica banner upon entry.
