Duke highlights Johnnies’ schedule

Chris Mullin’s non-conference schedule matches the high hopes for St. John’s in his third year running the program.

The Red Storm, coming off an eighth-place finish in the Big East and six-win improvement from the previous year, believes it has the pieces in place to reach the NCAA Tournament. With that in mind, Mullin has created a schedule that could create a strong résumé.

The non-conference schedule, released Monday afternoon, includes a meeting with powerhouse Duke and its robust freshmen class Feb. 3 at the Garden, a strong field in the Orlando Advocare Invitational over Thanksgiving, and matchups with quality programs such as St. Joseph’s and Arizona State at neutral sites.

St. John’s will start the 2017-18 season against New Orleans at Carnesecca Arena on Nov. 10 and host Big Ten foe Nebraska six days later in the annual Gavitt Tipoff Games. The Johnnies will open the Advocare Invitational with Oregon State, and could meet Missouri and its elite freshman forward Michael Porter Jr. in the second round. A twogame West Coast swing will take Mullin’s team to Phoenix for a Dec. 5 matchup with Grand Canyon in the Valley of the Sun Shootout, followed by a game against Arizona State and head coach Bobby Hurley at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Dec. 8 in the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic.

Nine days later, St. John’s makes its 2017 debut at Madison Square Garden in the Holiday Festival against MAAC powerhouse Iona, the first meeting between the two locals since 1995. On Dec. 20, the Johnnies meet Atlantic 10 foe St. Joseph’s at Mohegan Sun as part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase.

There are a few soft landing spots, such as home games against Central Connecticut State (Nov. 14) Division II Molloy College (Nov. 20), and Sacred Heart (Dec. 2).