The opposing coach helped write Iona’s history
Rick Pitino took Iona to two NCAA Tournaments before moving to St. John’s. When a former coach faces his old school, which matters more: knowing the program or knowing the players on the floor now?
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL · GAME DAY
Iona at St. John's
Iona Gaels2-0AWAY
#13 St. John's Red Storm1-0HOMEMadison Square Garden · Peacock
Scheduled start passed · status unconfirmed · ESPN game details ↗
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL · ARCHIVED PREGAME PRIMER
Iona returns to the Garden with a ball-handling test waiting.
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The scheduled start has passed. This is the saved pregame primer, not live coverage or a result.
In 30 seconds
No. 13 St. John’s opens its Madison Square Garden schedule against unbeaten Iona, with Rick Pitino facing his former program. Keyshawn Hall gave the Red Storm an immediate scoring anchor; Iona’s Kevon Vanderhorst has already delivered a game-winning drive. Watch what happens before either team gets a shot: can the Gaels move the ball through pressure without giving St. John’s easy baskets? Iona’s path is to make this a game of organized possessions, then finish those possessions on the glass.
The setup: a familiar opponent at the Garden
Iona (2–0) visits No. 13 St. John’s (1–0) on Sunday, November 8 at Madison Square Garden. Tipoff is noon Eastern / 10 a.m. Mountain on Peacock. The ranking is from the AP poll. The Red Storm won last season’s meeting 91–64, but Sunday brings a different collection of players and a fresh test of how they fit together.
There are personal connections on both benches. Pitino coached Iona from 2020–23. Sadiku Ibine Ayo is back with the Gaels after serving as a St. John’s captain. Those connections explain the interest; how Iona handles the first wave of defensive pressure will explain much more about the game.
St. John’s: Hall scores, Ellis sets the table
In the 78–63 opener against Monmouth, Hall produced 26 points and nine rebounds. Ian Jackson added 15 points, including three made threes. Quinn Ellis contributed seven assists and five steals, while St. John’s forced 18 turnovers. Those are several ways to hurt a defense: scoring inside the arc, punishing help outside it, and attacking after a takeaway.
Watch where Hall receives the ball. A catch near his scoring spot puts immediate pressure on Iona’s help defenders. If the Gaels crowd him, the next pass matters: an open Jackson catch is a very different outcome from a contested attempt after the ball stops moving.
Iona: Vanderhorst must create without forcing it
Vanderhorst scored 27 in Iona’s 56–55 win over Vermont and finished the decisive drive with 0.6 seconds left. Kosy Akametu added 18; together they supplied 45 of the Gaels’ 56 points. Iona followed with a 72–49 win over NJIT, building separation through a 28–0 first-half run.
That opening escape shows why Vanderhorst is worth following with the ball. Against St. John’s, the challenge is choosing when to attack a gap and when to move it along. A pass that gets another Gael facing the basket can be more valuable than a difficult dribble through two defenders.
The possession after the stop
Iona lost the Vermont rebound count 39–34 and allowed 13 offensive boards. That is a useful warning for this matchup: making the first shot difficult is only part of defending. If the Gaels force a miss, watch whether their guards come back to help secure the ball.
An offensive rebound also scrambles assignments. A shooter who was covered on the first attempt can be free on the kick-out. For Iona, a clean defensive rebound offers both protection against that second chance and a chance to advance before St. John’s can set its pressure.
The FanFluent read
St. John’s has the more convincing early combination of shot creation and defensive disruption. That is our matchup lean, with only a small sample behind it. Iona can make the afternoon uncomfortable if it keeps live-ball mistakes down and gets useful contributions beyond its primary creators.
The question to bring into the first media timeout: is Iona getting the shots it chose, or the shots the pressure left behind? Look at the quality of the possessions before judging a handful of makes and misses.
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One player made the trip both ways
Sadiku Ibine Ayo started at Iona, followed Rick Pitino to St. John’s, then returned to Iona for 2026–27. That is more than a coaching reunion: one player has experienced this matchup from both sides.
Player availability
The cited team reporting does not provide a complete game-day availability list. Check the teams’ Sunday coverage for late lineup changes.