Road game against a team that finished ahead of just one other school in the Big East last year. On the surface, that sounds like a recipe for success. However, there is more to St. John’s than meets the eye, and not all of it is pleasant.

After allowing a 50 percent effort from the field in the opening half, the Red Storm (8-10, 2-4) were never able to seize control of what turned out to be a 64-49 loss to the University of South Florida, (11-8, 4-2) who got a game-high 24 points from Victor Rudd.

St. John’s held serve with USF early; but a 10-2 run to start the second half, capped off by a Rudd three-pointer, was all the offense the Bulls would need on a night where they led the Red Storm by as many as 21 points.

St. John’s faces Villanova in their next game this Saturday at Madison Square Garden, but last night’s lasting impressions will take a closer look at a team whose youth and lack of depth may finally be catching up to them.

Lasting Impressions
– First and foremost, St. John’s continued their perennial struggles when donning their alternate black jerseys. Since the polarizing uniforms were introduced, the Red Storm have only won one game in their third colors. Ironically, that victory came last March against the USF team that picked up their first win over St. John’s since joining the Big East from Conference USA in 2006.

– The inability to find a third scorer to complement the duo of Moe Harkless and D’Angelo Harrison continued last night. No Red Storm player posted more than twelve points; and with teams such as Syracuse and Duke still on St. John’s ledger, this problem needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.

– Victor Rudd picks up game ball honors for posting 24 points, all of which came in the second half. USF head coach Stan Heath raved about him when we spoke at Big East media day, and the Arizona State transfer proved his coach right with the game of his life against St. John’s.

– Finally, the sad reality surrounding this team is that the honeymoon is over from last year. Yes, this team may only be playing seven-deep; and Steve Lavin may be on the shelf, but that doesn’t change the fact that this group is still trying to find themselves and sometimes, rather unfortunately, cannot get out of their own way. One-third of the way through the Big East schedule; the Red Storm are growing up ahead of schedule in what basically amounts to baptism by fire, but back-to-back games in which the dynamic halfcourt offense was stifled will have the coaching staff working a little harder to prepare for a Villanova team that has taken a major step back compared to the Wildcats of years past.

What started as a promising afternoon ended with the same result as the previous game.

After carrying the team throughout the day, freshman forward Moe Harkless fouled out with just over five minutes remaining in a call that proved to be St. John’s undoing as the Red Storm (8-9, 2-4) were outscored 16-4 over the final segment of a 69-49 loss to No. 11 Georgetown (14-3, 4-2) at Madison Square Garden.

Harkless had been the team’s lone bright spot during a game in which the Red Storm looked for their fourth consecutive home victory against their archrivals. Instead, today’s crushing loss drops St. John’s below .500 for the first time in over a month; as the Hoyas picked up their first victory in New York since the 2010 Big East tournament, and first in the Garden against St. John’s since January of 2008.

While the Johnnies hit the road to face a suddenly resurgent USF, we take a look at what could have been and what ultimately unfolded in today’s lasting impressions.

Lasting Impressions
– Despite not having his services for the final 5:15 of regulation, Harkless’ 21-point, 10-rebound outing is still good enough for today’s game ball. Harkless notched his sixth career double-double on a night where D’Angelo Harrison had what could be described as his worst game in a Red Storm uniform. Sadly for St. John’s fans, today proved that foul trouble is still a danger that is an instant killer to this team whenever it is encountered.

– Through most of the game, this contest had all the makings of a typical St. John’s-Georgetown matchup of years past, with enough runs, counterpunches and defense to go around for each team.

– At the beginning of the game, Georgetown employed a zone defense that took the Red Storm out of their element after St. John’s opened the game on a 13-5 run. Once the Hoyas became the aggressors on both sides of the ball, they outscored St. John’s 20-6 through the rest of the opening stanza to take a 25-19 halftime lead.

– Finally, the offense is starting to take shape for the Red Storm halfway through the season. As Moe Harkless and/or D’Angelo Harrison go, so too does the rest of the team. Today did reveal one new facet of Mike Dunlap’s halfcourt game, though; and that is Harrison’s proficiency at the point guard position. Although he seems like your atypical point guard, Harrison displayed a poise and familiarity running the offense that has still yet to be seen from fellow freshman Phil Greene, who sees the bulk of the minutes as the quarterback of St. John’s offensive effort.

Twenty minutes into the game, St. John’s had a one-point lead on the 24th-ranked team in the country. What followed was a second half that the Red Storm would like to forget.

Playing with just six men for the final 11:22 of the second half, after D’Angelo Harrison fouled out, St. John’s short bench was no match for Marquette’s transition game, which Golden Eagles (13-4, 2-2) exploited for 52 second-half points, on the way to an 83-64 victory at the Bradley Center.

Davante Gardner led the way for Marquette, posting a career-high 22 points and 15 rebounds to complement a 20-point, six assist outing from guard Darius Johnson-Odom. St. John’s picked up a team-high 20 from God’sgift Achiuwa in the losing effort on one of the better games of the season for the native Nigerian.

St. John’s returns to Madison Square Garden, after they split their Midwest road trip, and waiting for them will be the 11th-ranked Georgetown Hoyas, who have lost each of their last three games in midtown Manhattan. Before we preview the Sunday matinee against the Johnnies’ archrivals, we’ll leave you with some of the standout images from tonight’s game in Milwaukee.

Lasting Impressions
– Marquette head coach Buzz Williams turned a few heads before the game even started with his choice to wear a plaid jacket. The fashion statement was actually appropriate since it took place on Al McGuire Night, and Williams paid homage to the former Marquette coach with his attire.

– After sitting through most of the first half with two fouls, Darius Johnson-Odom came alive over the final stanza to score eighteen of his twenty points. In his absence, Davante Gardner stepped up considering both Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder were in foul trouble early. Gardner entered the intermission with 14 points on the way to his 22 and 15 rebounds; and shares tonight’s game ball honors with Johnson-Odom, who sparked the Marquette transition game that put St. John’s away shortly after Harrison picked up his fifth foul.

– Much like the Arizona game in which St. John’s was a different team once Nurideen Lindsey fouled out, so they were after D’Angelo Harrison was whistled for his fifth foul with 11:22 remaining in regulation. In Harrison’s absence, the Red Storm relied heavily on Moe Harkless and Sir’Dominic Pointer to try and pick up the slack, but were unable to do so once the Golden Eagles employed their transition game effectively.

– Finally, Marquette’s biggest key to victory was smart shot selection. If the Golden Eagles could force St. John’s into throwing the ball up halfway through the shot clock, the road to a win would be smoother and easier to find. Sure enough, Marquette did exactly that; shooting 56 percent (33-for-59) from the field, including a 68 percent (21-for-31) clip in the second half and a 14-of-17 (82 percent) effort over the first twelve minutes of the final period.