After a disappointing outing across the country in San Francisco, the Red Storm return to New York and Madison Square Garden for the MSG Holiday Festival. The Red Storm will be taking on the Fordham Rams from the Bronx and the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Rams are the first really bad team that the Storm will face this season, and they will be without their best player. Chris Gatson who tore his meniscus during the third game of the season, is expected to be out up to a month.

The Holiday Festival is a St. John’s tradition and last year with only six players the Storm beat Fordham 56-50. St. John’s leads the all-time series 62-21 as it dates all the way back to 1909.

Game Information

Date: Saturday, December 8th, 2012
Location: Madison Square Garden- New York, New York
Time: 7:30 PM EST
TV: MSG+ (Don LaGreca, Vin Parise)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Tim O’Toole)
Online: WSJURadio.org

Fordham Rams (1-7, 0-0)
Head Coach: Tom Pecora

The Fordham Rams are going to have their work cut out for them when they take on St. John’s Saturday evening. The A10 bottom feeders will be without Chris Gatson, who is fifth all-time in rebounding and ninth all-time in points. Gatson had 11 points and 14 rebounds last year in the Holiday Festival against the Johnnies and in his place the focal point of the front court has been Ryan Canty. The 6’9 Canty had 14 points and nine rebounds in the Rams’ latest loss to Lehigh. He is averaging 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game picking up the slack with Gatson gone.

The Rams will mostly be playing a small lineup which is a big disadvantage playing against such an athletic team like St. John’s. Junior guard Brenden Frazier has been solid for the Rams averaging 15.6 points and 4.8 assists per game in the backcourt. The Rams don’t shoot it too well from distance, only 32% as a team.

Bryan Smith though, might be their most dangerous asset. The sophomore guard is averaging 10.4 points and is a team best 39% from three point land. If he can get hot and get going it would give the Rams their best shot at taking down the Johnnies.

Projected Starting Lineup:

F Khalid Robinson
C Ryan Canty
G Brenden Frazier
G Jermaine Meyers
G Bryan Smith

St. John’s (6-3, 0-0)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin

They were close, then they weren’t so close. For one half the Johnnies were able to keep up with the San Francisco Dons. But a huge game by Cody Doolin, De’End Parker and their hot shooting from three sent the Johnnies back home to NYC with a loss.

The Johnnies will be looking to rebound in their first game at Madison Square Garden this season. To do so they will look to get Phil Greene and D’Angelo Harrison back on track. Both starting guards had a rough time out west and hope to get back into the New York groove. Greene had six points and one assist in 28 minutes while Harrison had 14 points on 5-16 shooting from the field including 1-6 from behind the arc. Harrison couldn’t get anything to go and was played tough in the second half and was a non factor.

It will be interesting to see the lineup Lavin uses when Fordham goes small. Will Obekpa be a factor and game changer or will the Johnnies go small with the Rams and possibly see both teams with four guards on the floor?

Projected Starting Lineup:

F JaKarr Sampson
F Amir Garrett
G Phil Greene
G D’Angelo Harrison
G Felix Balamou

Keys to Victory

• Return of Jakarr- Jakarr Sampson had quite the game at San Francisco, shooting 10-17 from the field and racking up 22 points, while keeping the Red Storm in the game for as long as he could. Another great game by Jakarr could signify the coming together of a lethal tandem of Sampson and Harrison.
• Rebounding? Rebounding!- In the loss to the Dons the Johnnies handled the boards against a tough rebounding team. The Johnnies out rebounded the Dons 37-34 and held Cole Dickerson to only eight rebounds, well below his season average. With a much smaller team coming to town it will be even more important to win the battle of the boards.
• Don’t switch- One thing you could see during the San Francisco game, is no matter what, the Johnnies will switch on a ball screen. The Red Storm need to get tougher defensively and understand their responsibilities. Switching on every ball screen against the Dons, a team known for their ball movement, led to a ton of open shots and mismatches.
• Check the shooter- Fordham is not technically a great shooting team, only 41% as a team and 32% from downtown as a team. But they have two guys in Frazier and Smith who can knock down a shot if they are left open. Remember, hand down, man down. Get in their faces and force contested shots and the Johnnies should be alright.

Final Prediction: St. John’s Wins, 72-57

Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

The Red Storm traveled across the country this weekend in preparation to play the University of San Francisco Dons of the West Coast Conference. The Dons will be celebrating Red Storm head coach Steve Lavin’s father, Cap Lavin, who was a player for the Dons from 1949-1952. They will also be celebrating their NIT and NCAA championship teams.
The Storm arrived in San Francisco on Saturday night and spent Sunday giving back and volunteering at the San Francisco Food Band. They were also able to visit Alcatraz and AT&T Park, home of the World Series champion San Francisco Giants. The Johnnies were lucky enough got a pep talk from pitcher Jeremy Affeldt.

The Johnnies come to The City by the Bay on a four game winning streak after a close call against NJIT on Saturday. Down at one point by 14 points and 12 at halftime, the Johnnies were able to hold NJIT to only 14 second half points and pull away for a hard fought victory.
Game Information

Date: Saturday, December 4, 2012
Location: War Memorial Gym- San Francisco, California
Time: 10:00 PM EST
TV: SNY
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Tim O’Toole)

San Francisco Dons (4-1, 0-0)
Head Coach: Rex Walters

The Dons come into their matchup with the Red Storm undefeated at home with their only loss coming at the hands of Stanford on a neutral court, the Oracle Arena, home of the Golden State Warriors. The Dons tout a big front court, led by Cole Dickerson who in five games is averaging 14.8 points and 15 rebounds a game. Dickerson will be big on the blocks, grabbing 20 rebounds against Montana and it will be interesting to see him matchup with Chris Obepka and JaKarr Sampson.

De’End Parker will be looking to put up big numbers as the 6-6 transfer from UCLA is the leading scorer for the Dons. Parker is averaging 19.4 points and is shooting 53% from the field on the year and a scorching 70% from three on 17 shots. The Dons have a complete team and will be a tough matchup for the Johnnies.

Projected Starting Lineup:

F Cole Dickerson
C Tao Xu
G De’End Parker
G Tim Derksen
G Cody Doolin

St. John’s (6-2, 0-0)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin

Another slow start, a second half run, a dominating performance from a couple of Johnnies and a victory. That has been the formula for most of the games this year for the Red Storm. They will try to put the pedal to the metal in their Tuesday night matchup at San Francisco, sophomore guard D’Angelo Harrison was named to his third straight Big East Honor Roll and the fifth of his career. Harrison is the second leading scorer in the Big East at 21.8 points per game. Harrison now has scored 20+ points in seven of his first eight games.

Along with Harrison, freshman forward JaKarr Sampson is coming off a fine couple of games, specifically his 15 point 17 rebound performance against NJIT. Sampson now leads the team, averaging 7 rebounds a game. Phil Green IV, who has been much improved was held scoreless last game and will look to get back on track. Freshman forward Christian Jones logged a DNP against NJIT and will be interesting to see what Lavin is going to do when handing out minutes to the bench.

Projected Starting Lineup:

F JaKarr Sampson
F Sir’Dominic Pointer
G Phil Greene
G D’Angelo Harrison
G Felix Balamou

Keys to Victory

• Broken Record – Steve Lavin knows it, you know it, everyone knows it. This Red Storm team has started slow against lower competition this season. The WCC and San Francisco is no slouch though and starting slow against a team who has two dominate players would be a bad idea. Make good shot selections, play in transition and don’t get too excited. It’s a 40 minute game, don’t lose it in the first half.
• Rebounding!- Cole Dickerson is a beast on the glass. The Johnnies won the battle against NJIT, 48-42, but rebounding will still be a problem. Dickerson will present a problem and will need to be boxed out. Sampson has a knack for  grabbing boards and will have to be on his game, as well as Obekpa. Rebounding could decide whether the Johnnies will be facing a long plane ride back to Queens or a happy one.
• Find the Hot Hand- It seems that it’s been someone new each game that has stepped up for the Red Storm. Identify that matchup early and get it going. Harrison will eventually get his but the 2nd and 3rd scorers need to get involved earlier.

Final Prediction: San Francisco Wins, 67-64

Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

Coming off of a dominating win over South Carolina the St. John’s Red Storm look to finish off a perfect four game home stand agains the NJIT Highlanders of the Great West Conference. The Storm will once again be without JUCO transfer Orlando Sanchez as he awaits an eligibility ruling from the NCAA.

St. John’s leads the all-time series against the Highlanders 2-0, the last time these two teams played was in 2008 when St. John’s went on for an easy win, 82-54. That game was notable though as former Red Storm forward Justin Burrell broke one of the Carnesecca Arena hoops with a huge slam dunk. The Highlanders have only been in Division I since the 2006-2007 season and have gone through some tough times including a winless season and a 51 game losing streak. But things have turned around as they are coming off consecutive 15 win season and a trip to the Great West Conference title game.

Game Information

Date: Saturday, December 1, 2012
Location: Carnesecca Arena- Queens, New York
Time: 1:00 PM EST
TV: ESPN3 (Tony Luftman, Tarik Turner)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Tim O’Toole)
Online: WSJURadio.org

NJIT Highlanders (4-2, 0-0)
Head Coach: Jim Engles

The Highlanders are off to their best start since becoming a Division I program, coming into Queens winning its last three games, all at home. They are lead by senior guard Chris Flores; Flores is averaging 18.7 points and was the preseason GWC Player of the Year. Flores dropped 28 points in the season opener at Providence, tying a school-Division I record, where the Highlanders only lost by 1.

The Highlanders are a good rebounding team and will present problems for the Red Storm. The Highlanders have out rebounded their last five opponents and are 15-6 when they out rebound their opponent in the past two years. As a team they shoot it at a 46% clip and 37% from three.

Projected Starting Lineup:

F Terrence Smith
C Sean McCarthy
G Chris Flores
G PJ Miller
G Ryan Woods

St. John’s (5-2, 0-0)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin

The Johnnies are coming off their most impressive win of the season, a 89-65 romp of the South Carolina Gamecocks. Everything finally clicked for the Johnnies as they were able to put it all together. Sophomore D’Angelo Harrison has been on fire to start the season as he has scored 20+ points in six of the first seven games. He lit up the nets for 26 points on 13 shots and is the Big East leader in points per game at 21.9.

Amir Garrett continues to impress off the bench, the two sport star had another double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds. Garrett, a 6-6 forward, is leading the team in rebounding with 5.7 a contest.

Felix Balamou made two separate SportsCenter Top 10 plays on Friday morning, for his alley oop slam and two blocks within seconds of each other, respectively. Balamou has been a pleasant surprise for Steve Lavin and the Johnnies, Balamou had 8 points, 3 rebounds and 3 blocks against South Carolina and it seems the decision to play him this year will only benefit him and the Johnnies.

Projected Starting Lineup:

F JaKarr Sampson
F Sir’Dominic Pointer
G Phil Greene
G D’Angelo Harrison
G Felix Balamou
Keys to Victory

• ‘O’ from Dee – The best player for the Red Storm is D’Angelo Harrison. Harrison has come out of the blocks this season on a mission, a mission to be the best player in the Big East and put together a good season for the Red Storm after a hard first year. Harrison is averaging 21.9 points and when he gets going, St. John’s is lethal. Harrison is shooting 39% from downtown and 46% overall. A good game from Harrison will go a long way.
• Rebounding- NJIT has been a good rebounding team so far this season, St. John’s has not been. Winning the battle of the glass will be important, in a blowout win over South Carolina the Johnnies were still out rebounded 43-31. St. John’s will be given a test on the boards and this will be a good game for them to work out the kinks before Big East play.
• Don’t Play Down- While NJIT isn’t a cupcake and has taken another Big East team to the wire, St. John’s should win this game easily. The Red Storm have the better team, if they play to their strengths and within themselves they should be able to cruise to victory. Games against Holy Cross and Florida Gulf Coast were a first half struggle, but if they play fast and athletic, cause turnovers and take good shots they will put the game away and have another Sam Sealy sighting.

Final Prediction: St. John’s Wins, 70-55

The St. John’s Red Storm will return to the Carnesecca Arena floor as part of the 2012 SEC/Big East Challenge. The Red Storm will tip off trying to win three in a row coming off wins against Florida Gulf Coast and Holy Cross. Last year, St. John’s fell to eventual national champion Kentucky in Lexington as part of the SEC/Big East Challenge and beat Georgia at Madison Square Garden in the 2009 version of the event.

The exciting and athletic Johnnies will face a test from the South Carolina Gamecocks who they have a short history with. The last time these two teams played was in 1975 finals of the ECAC Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden, St. John’s won 71-59.

Game Information

Date: Thursday, November 28, 2012
Location: Carnesecca Arena- Queens, New York
Time: 7:30 PM EST
TV: ESPNU (Mike Crispino, Kara Lawson)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Tim O’Toole)
Online: WSJURadio.org

South Carolina Gamecocks (5-1, 0-0)
Head Coach: Frank Martin

It has been an up and down non-conference schedule so far for the South Carolina Gamecocks. They are coming off a trip to Mexico where they won the Hoops for Hope Classic over Missouri State and Arkansas Little Rock. Before that the Gamecocks lost at home to Elon University from the Southern Conference, 65-53. St. John’s will be the first real test for coach Frank Martin in his first year as Gamecocks head coach.

The Gamecocks will be missing football player Bruce Ellington who is their normal starting point guard, he cannot play until football season is over and averaged 10 points as a sophomore last season. But a couple of seniors have been leading the way for Martin and the Gamecocks so far, LaShay Page is averaging 15.5 points per game and is an above average 60% from behind the three point stripe. Forward Lakeem Jackson has saved his best season for his last as he is averaging 11 points and eight boards this season in 35 minutes a game. The Gamecocks look to come to Queens and steal a game from the Red Storm in their first road contest of the season. South Carolina will score a lot of points and get to the line but have a problem with turnovers.

Projected Starting Lineup:

F Michael Carrera
F Lakeem Jackson
F RJ Slawson
G LaShay Page
G Eric Smith

St. John’s (4-2, 0-0)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin

After coming off two slow starts in their last games, St. John’s will look to start fast against major competition. Freshman guard Felix Balamou earned his first start of the season in the last game against Florida Gulf Coast as Steve Lavin went with a three guard set to start the game. Balamou, who was going to redshirt at the beginning of the season, has shown why it was a good idea not to as he is shooting at a 73% clip from the field as he has averaged 10 minutes a game so far. Balamou had taken a shot to the head against FGCU and was cut open. This fired up the team and his road roommate, D’Angelo Harrison especially, and lead to the come from behind win.

Freshman forward JaKarr Sampson was named the Big East Rookie of the Week as he averaged 16 points and 5.5 rebounds against Holy Cross and FGCU. Sampson has shown a sweet jump shot these last few games to go along with his athletic dunks. Sophomore guard D’Angleo Harrison was named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll; Harrison averaged 18.5 points and 4.5 rebounds while hitting 44% of his tries from three.

This game will be a good barometer for where St. John’s is, especially a week and a half after their games in Charleston with Murray State and Baylor.

Projected Starting Lineup:

F JaKarr Sampson
F Christian Jones
G Phil Greene
G D’Angelo Harrison
G Felix Balamou

Keys to Victory

• #Gamechanger- St. John’s will most likely see a new all-time blocks leader at the end of the season thanks to freshman forward Chris Obekpa. Obekpa is averaging 4.5 blocks per game and has 27 in the first six games. The Gamecocks have skilled forwards and it will be important for Obekpa to block and change shots at the rim.
• Start Fast- The past two games, against low-major competition, the Red Storm have started slow and eventually worked their way back into the game. They might not be so lucky if they spot the Gamecocks a 10+ point lead. The Johnnies need to make a statement and start fast out of the gate.
• Don’t Foul- The Gamecocks are great at getting to the line. They have made an SEC best 103 free throws in their first six games of the season while taking 133. They shoot it at a 77% clip as a team.
• Defense Dom- Sir’Dominic Pointer had a career-best game against FGCU as he totaled 15 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks & 2 steals. Pointer is known as the best  one on one defender on the Red Storm and it is always fun to watch him turn a steal into a highlight reel dunk. But if Pointer can put up offensive numbers to go with his defense, we will be seeing a whole new side to this already potentially dangerous Red Storm team.

Final Prediction: St. John’s Wins, 75-70