Georgetown was not the only team that made headlines on Jan. 21, 2006. On the same day that the Hoyas toppled then-undefeated, No. 1 Duke, St. John’s fans stormed the court at Madison Square Garden after the Red Storm’s 55-50 victory over then-undefeated and ninth-ranked Pittsburgh.

Unfortunately for the St. John’s faithful, the celebration did not last long: The Red Storm proceeded to lose six straight after that upset.

When Georgetown (15-5, 5-2 Big East) travels to the Garden for a nationally televised game this Thursday, the Hoyas will face a St. John’s team (12-9, 3-5) that is in many ways the same squad from last season. The Red Storm is the only Big East team to return all five of its starters from last season, and their performances this season have been just as inconsistent as they were a year ago.

St. John’s has beaten two of the Big East’s better teams this season – Syracuse and No. 22 Notre Dame – but it has also experienced its fair share of humiliating losses. Illinois State, currently tied for last place in the Missouri Valley Conference, beat St. John’s by 13 points, and mediocre Seton Hall trounced the Red Storm by 16. St. John’s also lost 73-46 at West Virginia and, in its most recent game, 72-46 at No. 9 Pittsburgh.

“I feel like we’re a good team and playing a road game – that’s why we play in this conference,” junior forward Patrick Ewing Jr. said. “That’s what’s fun about it. We look forward to a challenge.”

Georgetown, on the other hand, has shown consistently solid play of late. The Hoyas have won four games in a row and 11 of their last 13. Remarkably, all of Georgetown’s wins this season have been by a margin of at least 10 points.

The Georgetown offense has been, for the most part, efficient in conference play. The Hoyas lead the Big East in field goal percentage at 52.3 percent and are third in the conference in rebounding margin. College basketball Web site https://www.kenpom.com ranks the Hoyas’ offense as the third most efficient in the entire nation.

Though the Hoyas rank 12th in the Big East in turnover margin, they have done a much better job taking care of the ball in their last two games. After committing 20 turnovers against Seton Hall, Georgetown had just seven against DePaul and then only five against Cincinnati.

Georgetown’s offensive efficiency shows in a number of individual statistics. Junior center Roy Hibbert leads the Big East in field goal percentage at 71 percent, and junior guard Jonathan Wallace is second in the conference in three-point field goal percentage, at 48.1 percent. Sophomore guard Jessie Sapp ranks seventh in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio.

The Red Storm’s numbers are not nearly as impressive. St. John’s ranks 14th in the Big East in field goal percentage and 14th in rebounding margin.

The Red Storm’s rebounding struggles are somewhat surprising considering their above-average height. St. John’s has four players who are taller than 6-foot-7. Senior forward Lamont Hamilton, who leads the team in scoring with 13.2 points per game, stands at 6-foot-10.

The Red Storm lineup includes two other players with double-digit scoring averages. Junior guard Avery Patterson averages 11.4 points per game, while sophomore forward Anthony ason Jr. scores 10.9 points per contest.

But junior guard Eugene Lawrence is the Red Storm’s playmaker. He averages 5.2 assists per game, the third best in the Big East. For the Hoyas to continue their streak of blowout victories, they will have to prevent Lawrence from finding open looks for his teammates. Lawrence had seven assists to help St. John’s upset Syracuse and then contributed seven assists again in the Red Storm’s win over Notre Dame.

Thursday night’s game will likely be low-scoring, as both teams play solid defense. Georgetown is third in the Big East in field goal percentage defense, while St. John’s ranks fifth.

Last year, the Hoyas handily defeated the Red Storm twice. Georgetown won at Madison Square Garden 79-65, then at MCI Center, 64-41.

The outcome of Thursday night’s game will largely be determined by which St. John’s team shows up. If the Red Storm team that lost so badly to Seton Hall takes the court, St. John’s will have no chance against the Hoyas. If, however, the squad that took down Notre Dame comes to play, the Red Storm will have a shot at pulling off the upset.

But the Hoyas control their own destiny. If they continue their recent high level of play, it is hard to imagine St. John’s coming away with a win.

“It’s nice (to score a career high against Cincinnati), but we have a long way to go,” Hibbert said. “I’m ready to move on to St. John’s and St. John’s is a tough game.”

Thursday’s opening tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Madison Square Garden. The game will be televised on ESPN.