There’s not exactly a packed house here at Madison Square Garden for tonight’s game between St. John’s and Cincinnati. With the lower bowl less than half-full, it’s clear Lance Stephenson, the former Lincoln star, didn’t draw the city out in his return to the building where he became a household name during his tenure with the Railsplitters.

More important than Stephenson’s much talked about return to take on the team that recruited him hardest, St. John’s, is the Red Storm’s dreadful start to Big East play. Already 0-3 in the conference, a loss tonight would almost certainly doom St. John’s to a 1-7 start in the league, as their next four games are against winless DePaul (which they should win) followed by games at Connecticut and Pittsburgh and home against Villanova (which they will likely lose).

tbontemps@nypost.com