New York’s College Team.
Two schools lay claim to that title and depending, on whom you speak to, the true owner of that moniker varies. Fortunately, this is an issue that gets to be settled on the court.
St. John’s and Syracuse meet this afternoon for the 86th time in the history of the two schools, with the Orange taking a 48-37 lead after winning twelve of their last thirteen showdowns with the Red Storm. St. John’s comes in having dropped six straight to Syracuse; but the last time that was the case, New York City’s college team walked off the court victorious. Can history repeat itself? JohnnyJungle.com will shed further light on this matchup that is less than twelve hours away.
Date: Saturday, February 4, 2012
Location: Madison Square Garden; New York, New York
Time: 12:00 PM EST
TV: ESPN (Dave Pasch, Doris Burke)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Tim O’Toole)
Online: WSJURadio.org (Mike Rossillo, Karl Delatorre)
St. John’s Red Storm (10-12, 4-6)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin* (2nd season at STJ; 31-24, 176-102 overall)
*- Assistant coach Mike Dunlap will serve as interim coach while Lavin recovers from offseason prostate cancer surgery
Projected Starting Lineup:
G Phil Greene (6-2 Fr., 7.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 35% FG, 75% FT, 2.9 APG, 1.2 SPG)
G D’Angelo Harrison (6-3 Fr., 16.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 38% FG, 36% 3pt, 82% FT, 1.9 APG, 1.6 SPG)
F Amir Garrett (6-6 Fr., 5.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 43% FG, 54% FT, 1.1 APG, 1.3 SPG)
F Sir’Dominic Pointer (6-5 Fr., 6.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 43% FG, 57% FT, 1.4 APG, 1.0 BPG, 1.6 SPG)
F Moe Harkless (6-8 Fr., 16.3 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.7 BPG, 1.6 SPG)
Key Reserves:
F God’sgift Achiuwa (6-8 Jr., 10.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 55% FG, 70% FT)
Keys To Victory:
– Running on adrenaline. St. John’s may be young, but their confidence is through the roof and their hearts will keep them in every game if their performance against Duke is any indication. Syracuse doesn’t pose a problem on matchups beyond Fab Melo, which bodes well for the Red Storm.
– Give me Moe. Moe Harkless played through pain at DePaul, scoring just nine points on 2-of-15 shooting. The freshman poured in eight rebounds though; and in order to expose Syracuse inside, he needs to make things happen on both sides of the ball. Drawing Fab Melo will hurt him on the offensive glass, but Harkless can pick up the slack defensively.
-Long distance shootout. If D’Angelo Harrison can fire effectively today, the pressure is on Syracuse to stop him. The Orange have several options beyond the arc, but Brandon Triche is the only consistent weapon. Harrison and Triche may end up matching one another shot for shot midway through the opening half, which will create an epic confrontation.
We’ve met New York City’s college team, so now we’ll introduce you to New York State’s college team.
No. 2 Syracuse Orange (22-1, 9-1)
Head Coach: Jim Boeheim (36th season; 878-302)
Projected Starting Lineup:
G Antonio “Scoop” Jardine (6-2 Sr., 8.5 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 50% FG, 32% 3pt, 51% FT, 5.0 APG, 1.4 SPG)
G Brandon Triche (6-4 Jr., 10.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 45% FG, 40% 3pt, 86% FT, 2.9 APG, 1.3 SPG)
F Kris Joseph (6-7 Sr., 13.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 44% FG, 34% 3pt, 78% FT, 1.8 APG, 1.3 SPG)
F Rakeem Christmas (6-9 Fr., 3.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 56% FG, 67% [16/24] FT)
C Fab Melo (7-0 So., 7.2 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 56% FG, 55% FT, 3.0 BPG)
Key Reserves:
G Dion Waiters (6-4 So., 12.3 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 49% FG, 35% 3pt, 70% FT)
F C.J. Fair (6-8 So., 8.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 47% FG, 71% FT, 1.1 SPG)
F James Southerland (6-8 Jr., 7.7 PPG, 3.3 PPG, 48% FG, 34% 3pt, 67% FT)
Keys To Victory:
– Zoned out. Syracuse just isn’t Syracuse without their world-famous 2-3 zone defense, and that alone should provide all the advantage the Orange need against the young Red Storm. Kris Joseph may be the X-factor since he is a wing with no true defensive matchup, but Brandon Triche is the most important piece of the starting five. If he can make shots and close against D’Angelo Harrison, Syracuse will coast to an easy win today.
– Get it done up front. Syracuse is a guard-dominated team aside from Kris Joseph, which handicaps them against Moe Harkless. Fab Melo, who had the game of his life against St. John’s in the Big East tournament last year, will need an encore to give the Orange in the paint. Rakeem Christmas and C.J. Fair will also need to step up if Melo gets into foul trouble.
– A shot at history. Despite the personal turmoil he has endured this season, a win today would be doubly significant for Jim Boeheim aside from the fact that it would come against St. John’s. With a victory, Boeheim moves into a tie for third on the all-time wins list, matching Hall of Famer Dean Smith with 879; a number Smith picked up during his legendary career at North Carolina, where he won two national championships.
So, Who Wins
Just like the New York Giants four years ago, no one is giving St. John’s a shot. Also like the Giants in Super Bowl XLII, St. John’s will surprise. As noted before, these kids will not go away during any game. In fact, they will play harder and better if it gets close late. Syracuse still gets up for this one; but they will only win the battle, not the war. Ultimately, this is a game where the average fan will remember St. John’s and how hard they played from the opening tip to the final buzzer in a valiant effort.
Final Score: Syracuse 77, St. John’s 74
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