In the rock fight many envisioned it would be, St. John’s prevailed in their first road test of 2012 after Moe Harkless tipped in a missed D’Angelo Harrison layup at the buzzer to defeat Cincinnati. However, the Red Storm do not have much of an opportunity to savor the victory, as next on the schedule is a Marquette Golden Eagles team ranked 24th in the nation.
One year ago, St. John’s defeated Marquette on the road for their first win against the former Warriors since 1966; and JohnnyJungle.com has all the information on tomorrow night’s contest, which the Red Storm will look to turn into an encore.
Date: Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Location: Bradley Center; Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Time: 7:00 PM EST
TV: ESPNU (Adam Amin, LaPhonso Ellis)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Tim O’Toole)
St. John’s Red Storm (8-7, 2-2)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin* (2nd season at STJ; 29-19, 174-95 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., 6.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 31% FG, 73% FT, 2.3 APG, 1.1 SPG)
G D’Angelo Harrison (6-3 Fr., 16.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 38% FG, 33% 3pt, 81% FT, 2.1 APG, 1.7 SPG)
F Sir’Dominic Pointer (6-5 Fr., 6.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 46% FG, 47% FT, 1.1 APG, 1.4 SPG)
F Moe Harkless (6-8 Fr., 15.3 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 45% FG, 68% FT, 1.6 APG, 1.8 BPG, 1.5 SPG)
F God’sgift Achiuwa (6-8 Jr., 11.5 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 53% FG, 74% FT, 1.1 BPG)
Key Reserves:
G Malik Stith (5-11 Jr., 3.3 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 41% FG, 30% 3pt, 77% FT, 1.1 APG)
F Amir Garrett (6-6 Fr., 3.2 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 46% FG, 33% 3pt, 38% FT, 1.0 SPG)
Keys To Victory:
– Points in the paint. Marquette has become a different team in the absence of Chris Otule, forcing the Golden Eagles to be even more reliant upon their backcourt to pull them out of the fire in close games. Another plus for St. John’s is that aside from Jae Crowder, the Marquette front line is just as young, with sophomores Davante Gardner and Jamil Wilson receiving most of the playing time. If St. John’s can move the ball, the Red Storm defense will force a gifted Marquette offense to ramp up their efforts just a little more.
– Cincinnati, Part II. Marquette has struggled in games where their opposition has chosen to grind it out rather than get into a track meet with the Golden Eagles. Even though Buzz Williams’ bunch defeated Norfolk State in the Paradise Jam championship and picked up a huge road win against Wisconsin in similar conditions, Marquette had problems in games against LSU and Vanderbilt that many feel the Golden Eagles should have won. The real key here would be to rein in D’Angelo Harrison. In the first fifteen games, Harrison has demonstrated a willingness to take the open shot. In this matchup, however, the Texan may have to have more of a veteran instinct with the ball in his hands. If Harrison and Phil Greene can maximize the shot clock the way Jordan Taylor attempted to in the Wisconsin game, it will be a long night for Marquette.
– Get to the line. The best and easiest way to expose Marquette’s frontcourt would be to draw fouls. Davante Gardner and Jamil Wilson have already been forced into more playing time than head coach Buzz Williams could have envisioned now that Chris Otule is injured; and aside from Jamail Jones, there isn’t much more depth up front. Look for St. John’s to play more physical than they have in games past to establish the advantage in the paint.
Now, for a little background information on the Red Storm’s opponents…
No. 24 Marquette Golden Eagles (12-4, 1-2)
Head Coach: Buzz Williams (4th season at MU; 81-41, 97-58 overall)
Projected Starting Lineup:
G Junior Cadougan (6-1 Jr., 6.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 42% FG, 69% FT, 5.0 APG, 1.1 SPG)
G Darius Johnson-Odom (6-2 Sr., 18.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 44% FG, 37% 3pt, 76% FT, 2.7 APG, 1.1 SPG)
G Vander Blue (6-4 So., 8.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 42% FG, 62% FT, 3.6 APG, 1.6 SPG)
F Jae Crowder (6-6 Sr., 16.5 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 50% FG, 38% 3pt, 71% FT, 1.9 APG, 1.9 SPG)
F Davante Gardner (6-8 So., 8.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 59% FG, 77% FT, 1.2 SPG)
Key Reserves:
G Todd Mayo (6-3 Fr., 9.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 42% FG, 34% 3pt, 78% FT, 1.3 APG)
F Jamil Wilson (6-7 So., 4.9 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 43% FG, 30% 3pt, 73% FT)
Keys To Victory:
– Smart shot selection. Prior to their December 3rd matchup with Wisconsin, Marquette came in shooting 53 percent from the field as a team. Ten games later, (three of which being Big East contests) that number has gone down to 46 percent. Against a St. John’s team that is not afraid to chuck the ball up halfway through the shot clock, Marquette can take advantage of missed shots whenever they get them. With two starters (Jae Crowder and Davante Gardner) shooting 50 percent or better from the field, the Golden Eagles will look to get the ball inside for high percentage shots against the Red Storm’s press defense and matchup zone.
– So much talent, so little space. You can’t spell “multifaceted” without “MU,” and Marquette usually has one of the best players in the Big East on the court at each position at any time during the game. In addition to All-Big East selection Darius Johnson-Odom, point guard Junior Cadougan is really a special player despite having virtually all of his freshman year wiped out due to injuries and a lack of playing time. Moreover, Todd Mayo has become indispensable alongside Johnson-Odom as a replacement for Vander Blue; and despite their offensive inconsistency, Gardner and Jamil Wilson provide some of the best defense in the conference. Marquette has never had the Top 100 recruits that Steve Lavin brought to St. John’s, but true talent finds its own recognition as opposed to having it bestowed upon them at an early age.
– Ball control. Marquette has a plus-4 turnover margin on the season, forcing seventeen miscues on average this season while committing thirteen of their own per game. St. John’s does not turn the ball over much either, but inexperience and youth on the road could be a recipe for disaster if the game gets out of hand earlier than expected. Buzz Williams’ team is not as defensively gifted as the Red Storm, but has found a way to make plays and stops on that side of the ball in equal parts. The right combination of missed shots and aggressiveness in the backcourt could open the door to a home win that will get the Golden Eagles back to .500 in Big East play on Al McGuire Night, where the program will pay tribute to the coach that brought Marquette its only national championship in 1977.
So, Who Wins?
St. John’s won both halves of this road trip a year ago; first defeating Cincinnati in a game that was decided by two points much like the one this past Saturday before taking the trip to Milwaukee two nights later and coming alive in the second half to defeat Marquette for the first time since head coach Steve Lavin was just 17 months old in February of 1966, six years before Buzz Williams was even born. Marquette has dropped four of their last six since starting 10-0, and the Golden Eagles have yet to face a team the likes of St. John’s. Expect a matchup similar to the one that took place in February of 2010 at Carnesecca Arena, one that will ultimately be decided by the last possession. Marquette no longer has a Jimmy Butler to drain a baseline jumper at the buzzer in overtime; but the Golden Eagles have the talent to get it done in the final seconds, particularly Darius Johnson-Odom, who is this writer’s pick to hit the game-winning shot.
Final Score: Marquette 68, St. John’s 65
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