They should at least be well rested.

Following a soft non-conference schedule, St. John’s will begin Big East play with a bang, playing three of its first four games on the road, starting with a conference season-opening showdown with local rival Seton Hall on Dec. 29 and finishing with defending national champion Villanova on Jan. 8. Last year’s team started terribly in the Big East, going 0-11 to ruin what was once a promising season. Obviously, reversing that trend would be optimal for a program desperately in need of a winning season.

Three of the next four are at home, including the first Garden game of the Big East schedule against Patrick Ewing and Georgetown on Jan. 27. That’s followed by another daunting stretch on the road, games against Creighton, non-conference powerhouse Duke and Marquette, all away from home.

February is when St. John’s will have to clean up. Six of the Red Storm’s nine games are at home, highlighted by Villanova (Feb. 17) and Seton Hall (Feb. 23) coming to the Garden. The Johnnies finish the regular season by visiting DePaul and Xavier in March.

For the second straight year, St. John’s will have five games at the Garden, four of them Big East contests. It also faces Princeton in the Holiday Festival on Dec. 9.

Much like St. John’s, Seton Hall will have a difficult time starting fast, spending most of the first month of the league season away from home. After hosting the Johnnies, the Pirates are on the road for four of their next five games, facing the likes of Xavier, Marquette and Providence. Seton Hall finishes the year at home against Marquette and Villanova.