Red Storm Meet Villanova Next In Must-Win Matinee

Their buzzer-beating win at Cincinnati notwithstanding, St. John’s has dropped their last five Big East contests since starting Big East play with a resounding victory against Ed Cooley and Providence. At 8-10 on the season, the Red Storm could find themselves face to face with their prospects for the rest of the season tomorrow afternoon in what amounts to the most critical game the Red Storm have played to date.

Standing in the way is a Villanova team that has taken a major step back while rebuilding with one of their youngest teams in recent years. Last season, the Wildcats were the sixth and final Top 25 team that the Red Storm defeated on their way to the NCAA Tournament. JohnnyJungle.com gives you all the vital information you need as ‘Nova Nation looks to settle a bitter loss that started a downward spiral to end last season.

Date: Saturday, January 21, 2012
Location: Madison Square Garden; New York, New York
Time: 1:00 PM EST
TV: ESPNU (Beth Mowins, Tim Welsh)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Tim O’Toole)
Online: WSJURadio.org (Mike Rossillo, John Sudolsky)

St. John’s Red Storm (8-10, 2-5)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin* (2nd season at STJ; 29-22, 174-100 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., 5.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 32% FG, 75% FT, 2.4 APG, 1.0 SPG)
G D’Angelo Harrison (6-3 Fr., 14.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 36% FG, 31% 3pt, 81% FT, 1.9 APG, 1.7 SPG)
F Sir’Dominic Pointer (6-5 Fr., 6.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 42% FG, 55% FT, 1.4 APG, 1.0 BPG, 1.4 SPG)
F Moe Harkless (6-8 Fr., 15.6 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 45% FG, 68% FT, 1.4 APG, 1.7 BPG, 1.6 SPG)
F God’sgift Achiuwa (6-8 Jr., 11.6 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 53% FG, 73% FT, 1.0 BPG)

Key Reserves:
F Amir Garrett (6-6 Fr., 3.9 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 36% FG, 47% FT, 1.4 SPG)
G Malik Stith (5-11 Jr., 2.9 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 41% FG, 77% FT, 1.2 APG)

Keys To Victory:
– Three’s a crowd. St. John’s has struggled from beyond the arc in recent games, and comes into tomorrow’s contest shooting just 24 percent from long range as a team. These struggles can be attributed to the cold streak of freshman guard D’Angelo Harrison, who has established himself as the man who makes the motor run offensively for St. John’s. In addition, Phil Greene and Moe Harkless have drawn themselves into pulling up to take wide open shots that usually rim out to contribute to the low shooting percentage. St. John’s should be able to exploit Villanova’s four-guard sets with their press defense and create lanes to the basket they would not normally find against bigger teams.

– Ball control. In both of their last two games against Georgetown and USF, the Red Storm opened up the game for their opponents with unusually high amounts of turnovers. With the prospect of potentially facing two point guards at the same time during the game, St. John’s will need to be a little more aggressive offensively while simultaneously playing a little more conservative in the open court.

– Slump busters. St. John’s endured one three-game losing streak earlier this season against Northeastern, Kentucky and Detroit; and followed that up with a three-game winning streak against Fordham, Texas-Pan American and Providence. Villanova is a little more competitive than either of the three aforementioned programs, (no disrespect intended) so St. John’s will have a taller order ahead of them this time around.

Back at the Garden for the first time since January of 2010 is the team from the Main Line with one of the best student sections in the Big East.

Villanova Wildcats (9-10, 2-5)
Head Coach: Jay Wright (11th season at VU; 233-121, 355-206 overall)

Projected Starting Lineup:
G Maalik Wayns (6-2 Jr., 18.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 41% FG, 89% FT, 4.9 APG, 1.0 SPG)
G James Bell (6-5 So., 7.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 43% FG, 37% 3pt, 84% FT, 1.1 APG)
G Dominic Cheek (6-6 Jr., 11.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 39% FG, 82% FT, 1.1 APG)
F Jayvaughn Pinkston (6-7 Fr., 8.2 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 43% FG, 63% FT, 1.1 APG)
F Mouphtaou Yarou (6-10 Jr., 12.0 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 51% FG, 72% FT)

Key Reserves:
G Darrun Hilliard (6-6 Fr., 6.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 39% FG, 32% 3pt, 81% FT, 1.2 APG)
F Markus Kennedy (6-9 Fr., 3.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 49% FG, 7% [1/13] FT)
G Achraf Yacoubou (6-4 Fr., 3.0 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 32% FG, 100% [6/6] FT)
G Ty Johnson (6-3 Fr., 2.7 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 34% FG, 30% 3pt, 81% FT, 1.6 APG)

Keys To Victory:
– Four quick. Villanova has had the four-guard offensive set as a trademark since their Elite Eight run in 2006 behind Kyle Lowry, Mike Nardi, Allan Ray and Randy Foye. The talent may be a little younger for Jay Wright this time around, but Villanova’s smaller lineup will give them the opportunity to create their own shots against the combination press/matchup zone defense of the Red Storm.

– Mouph. Mouphtaou Yarou will be the most important player on the court for either side. At 6-10, Yarou will have a two-inch size advantage over any of the Red Storm players, so look for Villanova to get him the ball early and often to establish a presence under the boards. In addition, freshmen Markus Kennedy and Jayvaughn Pinkston have the bodies to stand up to the St. John’s big men in case Yarou gets into foul trouble.

– Experience at the point. Having learned from Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher in his first two seasons, Philadelphia native Maalik Wayns has had the right mentors to prepare him for his current role as the quarterback of the Wildcat offense. Averaging over eighteen points per game, Wayns will be the go-to guy for Villanova tomorrow against a St. John’s lineup that gets most of its points from their frontcourt.

So, Who Wins?
Villanova has done very well when taking on St. John’s inside Madison Square Garden, including double-digit wins in 2008 and 2010. In addition, the battle of the fans will be alive and well as the St. John’s faithful matches wits against ‘Nova Nation, who draws well at nearly every arena in the Big East. The Wildcats come into this one with an impressive home win against Seton Hall; and need this game to save their momentum for an impending three-game stretch that features trips to Louisville and Pittsburgh with a home game against Marquette sandwiched in between. The Red Storm don’t have it any easier themselves, with Cameron Indoor Stadium waiting in the wings after they get through West Virginia Wednesday night. In the end; it comes down to guard play, where Villanova has the advantage to win going away.

Final Score: Villanova 74, St. John’s 58