A Juicy Rematch With The Orange

Back on January 12th, Syracuse came into Madison Square Garden and handed a St. John’s team that had won three of its first four Big East games its first and only loss in the “World’s Most Famous Arena” this season by the final of 76-59.  Four Orange players scored in double figures that day, led by Kris Joseph (18 points) and Brandon Triche.  (15 points)  Two months later, it’s been a tale of two different teams as the ‘Cuse and the Johnnies collide at the Garden for round two in the Big East quarterfinals.  While Syracuse was undefeated following their victory over the Red Storm, they proceeded to drop six of their next nine before ending the regular season on a five-game winning streak.  As for the boys from Queens, they have won ten of their last twelve in a run that saw the Storm take down one Top 25 opponent after another.  On top of that, Syracuse remains the only Big East team that this year’s senior class has never beaten.  Can the Johnnies rewrite history one more time en route to what would be their seventh win against a ranked opponent?  Game time is less than four hours away.

Game Information

St. John’s University (5th seed, 21-10) vs. Syracuse Orange (4th seed, 25-6)

Date: Thursday, March 10th, 2011

Time: 2:30 pm

Venue: Madison Square Garden (Big East tournament quarterfinals)

TV: ESPN2 (Dave Pasch play-by-play, Doris Burke and Fran Fraschilla color, Beth Mowins sideline reporter)

Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko play-by-play, Tarik Turner color)

WSJUradio.org (Dan Martin play-by-play, Tim Dimas color)

Syracuse Orange (25-6, 12-6 in the Big East)

Very rarely has there been a team so dominant on a neutral court to the point where it could be considered a second home court, but the Orange are just that good at Madison Square Garden.  In addition, their rabid fan base travels well and can influence the game at any given time.  Look for the Syracuse faithful to be on their feet from the opening tip as they bring the Carrier Dome tradition of standing until the Orange scores a basket into midtown Manhattan.  Jim Boeheim’s team is also balanced and defensively gifted in the form of four double-figure scorers and Big East Defensive Player of the Year Rick Jackson, who has underwent a makeover of sorts to become one of the league’s most imposing inside presences.  The aforementioned Joseph and Triche are the long-range specialists on this team, and we would be remiss not to include Scoop Jardine as a game-changer at the point guard position.  Syracuse’s bench isn’t known for its productivity, but freshmen C.J. Fair and Dion Waiters anchor a group of reserves that brings a high-energy attitude and fundamental awareness to the game that belies their young age.  Finally, Syracuse just isn’t Syracuse without its world-famous 2-3 zone defense.

Keys to Victory

• Break the zone. St. John’s coach Steve Lavin admitted his team hasn’t seen much zone defense recently, and the team has worked on it in practice.  Syracuse closes to the three-point line better than most teams in the country, which will force Dwight Hardy and Paris Horne to work their way inside to score against an Orange defense that yields only 63 points per game.
• Draw fouls.  St. John’s hasn’t been the better free throw shooter in recent years, but they are today; as Syracuse comes in with a 66 percent clip at the charity stripe.  In particular, the Red Storm will look to foul high school teammates Jardine (66 percent) and Jackson.  (51 percent)
• That was then, this is now.  St. John’s faces an uncertain reception when they take the court this afternoon after the closing seconds of yesterday’s win against Rutgers, where it appeared Justin Brownlee traveled and stepped out of bounds before time expired despite no call from the officials.  Throw in a Syracuse fan base hungry for another Garden win and you have a Red Storm team that will need to come out looking to prove that yesterday truly is in the past.
• Our town, our house.  That was what St. John’s men’s basketball SID and senior associate athletic director of communications Mark Fratto tweeted prior to yesterday’s game against Rutgers, and it rings true again for the boys from Queens today.  St. John’s is 7-1 in Madison Square Garden this season; with their sole blemish coming at the hands of Syracuse, and the Red Storm will look to avenge a loss while taking down what would be their seventh Top 25 opponent, which would tie them with conference foe Notre Dame for most in the country.
• The bucket list. Finally, as St. John’s has added new chapters to its illustrious history, their ten-player senior class has taken down one team after another for the first time.  One name still remains to be slain, and that is the Syracuse Orange squad that the Johnnies face today.  This element should provide the Storm with a fighting spirit throughout the afternoon as they look to exorcise their final demon.

So, Who Wins? This game will be just as much of a war as the Rutgers game was, and even the Rutgers-Seton Hall game on Tuesday was.  Syracuse doesn’t get intimidated or go away rather easily, so St. John’s will need to keep the pressure on while not letting the Orange swing the momentum as they did in January on a first-half three from Kris Joseph.

Your Final: The Johnnies take down the one they haven’t got yet in a squeaker.  St. John’s 72, Syracuse 71