St. John’s kicked off its most eagerly anticipated season with a celebration of a 2024-25 squad that catapulted the program back into the national spotlight.

Then the new edition of the Red Storm showed why it may be worthy of celebrating when all is said and done, pasting Metro Atlantic favorite Quinnipiac, 108-74, before a sellout crowd of 5,260 at Carnesecca Arena.

St. John’s needed only 3:24 to establish a 10-point lead when Dillon Mitchell’s backcourt steal and dunk made it 13-2 and just 10:26 to get the margin to 20 for the first time when Sadiku Ibine Ayo turned a pass from Dylan Darling into a three-point play to make it 32-11.

Before tipoff of the fifth-ranked Red Storm’s season opener, the school unveiled banners commemorating winning their first Big East regular-season title

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