Both the St. Joe’s men’s team and women’s team earned a bid to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT), respectively. After the men’s team made a first-round exit in the NIT and the women’s team lost in the quarter-finals of the WBIT following a historic season, both teams are expected to come back big this year. With basketball season right around the corner, here are five must-watch games for both the women’s and men’s teams.
Men’s Top Five Games:
Villanova (Tuesday, Nov. 12, 5 p.m.)
The “Holy War” is a must-watch game any year, but coming off a St. Joe’s victory last season, the excitement is even more palpable as the Hawks look to do it again. This time, St. Joe’s will have home-court advantage as the Wildcats come to Hagan Arena. In addition to securing bragging rights in a bitter rivalry, this game is also going to be essential in helping the Hawks return to the title game of the Men’s Big 5 Classic Dec. 7 at the Wells Fargo Center, with the hopes of defending last year’s title.
Princeton (Tuesday, Dec. 3, 7 p.m.)
Last season, St. Joe’s topped Princeton 74-70 in what was one of the most exciting non-conference games of the season for the Hawks. Princeton came in undefeated in last season’s game before St. Joe’s handed them their first loss. This season, Princeton is top of the Ivy League preseason poll, so expectations for the Tigers are just as high. If the last faceoff between St. Joe’s and Princeton is any indication of what’s to come this year, be prepared not just for a highly competitive mid-major showdown, but also for an electricity in Hagan that is second to none.
VCU (Friday, Jan. 17, 7 p.m.)
After losing to VCU in the semi-finals of the Atlantic-10 tournament last year, the Hawks will get their rematch early in their conference slate. St. Joe’s has lost their last seven games against the Rams, who are atop the A-10 preseason standings. If the Hawks hope to build upon last season, finally snapping their unlucky streak against VCU is a key to doing so. With this game being an important A-10 matchup for St. Joe’s, it’s also a must-watch for any Hawk fans.
Dayton (Friday, Jan. 24, 7:30 p.m.)
Dayton is another conference team that has high expectations going into this season, and another team the Hawks have not had much recent success against. Last season’s faceoff resulted in a 94-79 loss, marking the fourth consecutive loss in the Hawk’s history with the Flyers. Just as with VCU, the Hawks must look to win this season as they hope to improve their conference record from last year’s .500 conference slate. Fans should be watching to see how the Hawks pull this off.
Richmond (Saturday, Feb. 22, 12:30 p.m.)
After dropping a game to Richmond in the regular season, the Hawks beat the Spiders 66-61 in the quarterfinals of the A-10 tournament last year. Richmond was the top seed going into the tournament and were upset by the ninth seed St. Joe’s. The regular season A-10 champions will make their way to Hagan Arena for a Saturday matinee game where the Hawks will hope to continue their success against the Spiders in the new season.
