The basketball rivalry between Westminster and St. John’s spans several decades, featuring just five meetings that have taken on outsized importance for both schools. Each contest has been more than a game; it has been a chapter in a shared story that reflects the evolution of college basketball.
The 1934 Doubleheader at Madison Square Garden
On a cold evening in 1934, the two programs stepped onto the court of Madison Square Garden for the first-ever college basketball doubleheader, a novelty that attracted a crowd far larger than typical campus games and set a new standard for showcase contests.
The intensity of the games that followed was matched by the uniqueness of the event, with each matchup bringing its own storyline — dramatic finishes, surprising upsets, and moments that have been recounted by alumni, coaches and sports historians.
An analyst from the Westminster College Network has highlighted how each encounter contributed a distinct chapter to the programs’ shared story, emphasizing the blend of strategy and spectacle that defined the era.
Though the series is short, the legacy of those meetings endures, influencing how the two institutions view their athletic traditions and serving as a reminder of the early days of college basketball’s growth.