2026-27 Monmouth Men's Basketball Gameday Preview: Game One
 
Monmouth Hawks (0-0, 0-0 CAA) at No. 13/14 St. John's Red Storm (0-0, 0-0 Big East)
Monday, November 2, 2026 – 6:30 p.m.
Carnesecca Arena, Queens, N.Y.
 
To see the complete set of Monmouth Game Notes, in a PDF form click here. 
 
Watch
Live: ESPN+
Play-by-Play: Ed Cohen
Analyst: Tarik Turner

Listen
Live: Monmouth Digital Network
Play-by-Play: Matt Harmon
Analyst: Steve Bazaz
 
Quick Bullets

• Fresh off an appearance in last year's CAA Championship game, the Hawks kick off their 16th season under Head Coach King Rice versus St. John's.
• The Hawks return eight players who donned the blue and white previously while welcoming in eight newcomers.
• Forward Stefanos Spartalis is the Hawks' returning leader in scoring (10.7 ppg) and rebounding (5.1 rpg).
• Spartalis and guard Ashton Walker earned Preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention accolades.
• Monmouth was picked to finish fifth in the CAA Preseason Poll.
• This is the first of six games for the Hawks against teams that competed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
• It's the Hawks first appearance against a ranked team since the 2024 season.

A Monmouth Win Would...

• Give the Hawks their first ever win over St. John's in five tries. It would improve the Hawks to 8-8 in season openers. It would gives the Hawks their first win over a ranked opponent since 2015.

More Info on the All-Time Series

• This will be the fifth all-time meeting between the two schools and first since 2021. Monmouth is 0-2 versus St. John's under head coach King Rice.

Last Time They Met...

• When the two schools met in the 2021 season, St. John's held off a second half charge from the Hawks for an 88-83 win. Shavar Reynolds led the Hawks with 25 points in that contest. 

Facing a Ranked Opponent

• The Hawks face a St. John's squad ranked #13 in the AP poll and #14 in the Coaches Poll. 
• It is the 23rd time in program history that the Hawks will face a ranked opponent. The Hawks will be looking for their first win over a ranked opponent since they beat then No. 17 Notre Dame in the 2015 season.

Pack Your Bags

• The Hawks will open the season with six straight games away from home. Monmouth will log 2,983 miles round trip. 
• The Hawks shortest trip in this opening trip will be the Princeton (app. 40 miles). The longest trip will be to Wake Forest (app. 553 miles).

Next Up

• The Hawks are back in action when they take on Rhode Island in the Naismith Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 7. That game will be played at the Mohegan Sun. 

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