The Red Storm hope to stay rolling and build more momentum ahead of their hotly anticipated matchup against old Big East rival Syracuse this Sunday night. Before they play the Orange, the Red Storm have a tune-up game versus Colgate on Wednesday night at Carnesecca Arena (7:00 p.m.).
St. John’s is coming off a commanding 104-65 blowout win over Iona, in which they shot 55.2% overall and 46.4% from three, and are hoping to feed off that offensive explosion. They lead the all-time series against Colgate,
6-2, and have won their last five matchups dating back to 1969. The Johnnies last defeated the Raiders, 82-64, on December 21, 2021.
What to watch for in the Storm
Bombs Away: Sunday’s blowout was a tour de force for the St. John’s offense. It was the third time in program history they scored at least 100 points and 13 three-pointers in a game. The Johnnies are hoping that puts an end to the long-range shooting woes that plagued them throughout the preseason and in their season opener against Monmouth.
Hot Off the Press: The Red Storm’s high-pressure defense looks ahead of schedule through two games. Against Monmouth and Iona, they’ve forced 37 turnovers and scored 47 points off those takeaways. St. John’s had a ton of success with the full-court press in 2025, but couldn’t use it effectively last season. It would be a massive boon if they have that card up their sleeve this year.
Yes! Yes! Yes!: Tounde Yessoufou couldn’t be stopped against Iona, leading the Red Storm with 23 points (7-of-12 shooting and a team high 4-of-7 from three), seven rebounds, and three steals. Sunday’s outing is a clear sign that the 6-foot-5 shooting guard will give opponents matchup problems on both ends of the court all year.
Scouting the Raiders
Until a couple of years ago, Colgate was the standard in the Patriot League. The Raiders won the conference tournament five times in six seasons from 2019 to 2024, but have missed the last two NCAA Tournaments as their fluid offensive identity has eroded, going 14-19 and 18-15 since. Now in his 16th year in charge, longtime head coach Matt Langel hopes to bring the Raiders back to their perch atop the league, but they haven’t started how they’d like.
An opening-night loss to Washington was expected, but Colgate are now 0-2 after a loss to Drexel, which entered the game ranked 34 spots lower than the Raiders in KenPom (247th to 214th).
The Raiders are going to need to replace last season’s leading scorer Jalen Cox, who transferred to USC after posting 17.9 points and a conference-best 5.3 assists per game in 2025-26, and two key players have emerged: the returning forward duo of Andrew Alekseyenko and Sam Wright, who each could be Patriot League Player of the Year candidates by season’s end.
Alekseyenko burst on the scene with 14.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game as a freshman for the Raiders, winning Patriot League rookie of the year honors. The 6-foot-8 forward showed flashes of his stretch-four skill set, whether shooting 39.0% from three on 3.2 attempts per game or making plays with a 16.1% assist rate. For all his offensive potential, Alekseyenko leaves a lot to be desired on defense, posting a defensive box plus-minus score of (-1.8) last season and (-2.5) so far this year.
Defensive warts aside, Alekseyenko looks poised for a big year through a small sample size of two games, averaging a team-high 22.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists with the Raiders, and he’s hitting a team-best 7-of-11 from deep.
Wright is an anomaly in modern college basketball as he enters his fourth year at the same program. The 6-foot-9 forward can also score in and out like Alekseyenko, averaging 12.3 points and 4.4 rebounds a season ago on 61.8% shooting inside the arc, but needs to improve his outside shooting efficiency after going 31.2% from deep as a junior. Across two games, he’s averaged 18.0 points and 4.0 rebounds this season and is off to a 6-for-12 start from three.
Junior guard Josh Ahayere brings some downhill scoring ability and physicality in the backcourt. The 6-foot-3 guard posted 7.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists last year, and is now averaging 12.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists across two games in the young season. Against Drexel, he scored 18 points, added five assists, and grabbed four rebounds on 6-of-8 shooting, including a perfect 3-of-3 from three.
The Raiders are also getting back senior Parker Jones, who missed all of last season due to injury. The 6-foot-7 Jones adds a long-range scoring presence on the wing, as he averaged 8.3 points on 41.1% shooting and 36.6% from three in 2024-25.
Jones had 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 3-of-7 from deep in his first game in almost two years against Washington, but couldn’t take the cover off the lid and went 0-of-7 from downtown against Drexel.
Keys to the game
Start Quickly Again: St. John’s decided their first two games against Monmouth and Iona very early, jumping out to leads of 24-7 and 24-6 after capitalizing on multiple forced turnovers. If they want to dictate Wednesday’s game, they’ll need another hot start.
Keep the Ball Moving: As spectacularly as Quinn Ellis is playing, the Red Storm needs more ball movement from the rest of the team. Sunday’s game was a great example of what this offense can do if St. John’s isn’t hunting for shots and setting up good looks for their teammates.
Run the Raiders Off The Line: Colgate was one of the better three-point shooting teams a season ago, hitting 35.6% of attempts from deep to rank 81st in the country. They weren’t as dialed in from inside the arc, going 53.2% on two-point shots (122nd in the country). They’ve struggled mightily in two-point range so far this season, going 45.3% over two games (255th in the country). That math says it all, as the Johnnies need to hem the Raiders in around the perimeter.
Prediction
St. John’s clearly found something in their romp against Iona and should stay hot with a short turnaround going into Wednesday night’s game. Another balanced scoring effort is in the cards, and so is another comfortable win for the Red and White. The Red Storm take care of business, 84-57.
