St. John’s Makes Madison Square Garden Debut Against No. 15 Arizona

After two games that went closer to the wire than most had hoped, St. John’s got the comfortable win it was looking for this past Sunday, erasing an early seven-point deficit to defeat UMBC in a victory that proved the Red Storm were more than just a second-half team.

The hangover from a rout has worn off, however. Standing in their way is the 15th-ranked team in the country, one who poses as much a challenge as the several Top 25 programs the Red Storm toppled on the way to the NCAA Tournament. Below, JohnnyJungle.com prepares you for the semifinal matchup of the 2K Sports Classic, pitting the Red Storm against Sean Miller’s Arizona Wildcats.

Date: Thursday, November 17, 2011
Location: Madison Square Garden; New York, New York
Time: 9:30 PM EST
TV: ESPN2 (Dan Shulman, Dick Vitale, Andy Katz)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Tim O’Toole)
Online: WSJURadio.org (Tim Dimas, Mike Rossillo)

St. John’s Red Storm (3-0)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin (2nd season, 24-12; 169-90 overall)

Projected Starting Lineup:

G Nurideen Lindsey (6-3 So., 16.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 50% FG, 56% FT, 4.7 APG, 3.3 SPG)
G Malik Stith (5-11 Jr., 6.3 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 62% FG, 50% 3pt, 67% FT, 1.0 APG)
G D’Angelo Harrison (6-3 Fr., 14.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 42% FG, 38% 3pt, 79% FT, 1.7 APG, 2.7 SPG)
F God’sgift Achiuwa (6-8 Jr., 17.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 73% FG, 91% FT, 1.0 BPG)
F Moe Harkless (6-8 Fr., 16.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 50% FG, 50% FT, 1.7 APG, 1.7 BPG, 2.0 SPG)

Key Reserves:
F Sir’Dominic Pointer (6-5 Fr., 3.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 44% FG, 50% 3pt, 40% FT, 1.0 SPG)
G Phil Greene (6-2 Fr., 2.3 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 18% FG, 50% FT, 1.7 APG, 1.0 SPG)

Keys To Victory:
– Force rookie mistakes. Arizona is a young team in much the same vein as the Red Storm, despite starting two seniors and two juniors. However, the Wildcats have already committed 48 turnovers through their first three contests, which gives St. John’s a window to introduce their press defense early and often. Arizona can shoot, too, so don’t be surprised to see this game turn into a track meet between an Arizona team that averages 71 points per game and a St. John’s group that puts up 78 a night, while yielding only 64.

– Close to the three-point line Arizona’s shooting strength lies within its guards, and St. John’s will be introduced to Kyle Fogg and Jordin Mayes from the opening tip. Freshman Nick Johnson has also proven himself as a gifted scorer off the bench for head coach Sean Miller, and the Wildcats will also have Kevin Parrom again after the New York City product made his return this past Sunday against Ball State. Arizona is already shooting 38 percent from beyond the arc for the season, (18-for-48) and the Red Storm have been vulnerable to yielding early baskets from long range, as is evidence by the 11-for-14 start Lehigh got off to against the Johnnies in Steve Lavin’s return.

– Recapture the magic. St. John’s resurgence was sparked by six victories against Top 25 programs last year, and their first game against a ranked team in the miracle 2010-11 season was the thrilling 61-58 victory over then-No. 13 Georgetown on the same Madison Square Garden court the Red Storm take for the first time this season. In addition, St. John’s was 7-2 at the “World’s Most Famous Arena,” a year ago. Head coach Steve Lavin hinted at the potential pressure his young team would be facing, stating that there “could be some butterflies” leading to the opening tip. Just like their season opener, the Red Storm need to fight the tendency to not get caught up in the moment, and their three previous games could actually be a calming influence.

Taking the court against the Johnnies, we have…

No. 15 Arizona Wildcats (3-0)
Head Coach: Sean Miller (3rd season at Arizona, 49-23; 169-70 overall)

G Kyle Fogg (6-3 Sr., 14.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 43% FG, 50% 3pt, 84% FT)
G Jordin Mayes (6-2 So., 9.7 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 45% FG, 46% 3pt, 56% FT, 1.0 SPG)
F Jesse Perry (6-7 Sr., 10.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 50% FG, 64% FT, 1.0 BPG)
F Solomon Hill (6-6 Jr., 10.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 40% FG, 75% FT, 3.3 APG, 1.0 SPG)
C Kyryl Natyazhko (6-11 Jr., 2.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 60% FG, 50% FT)

Key Reserves:
G Nick Johnson (6-2 Fr., 10.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 33% FG, 40% 3pt, 73% FT, 2.7 APG)
F Kevin Parrom (6-6 Jr., 6.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 33% FG, 33% 3pt, 75% FT, 2.0 APG)
G Brendon Lavender (6-5 Sr., 4.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 67% FG, 67% 3pt, 100% FT, 1.0 APG)
F Angelo Chol (6-9 Fr., 4.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 60% FG, 1.7 SPG)
G Josiah Turner (6-3 Fr., 3.5 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 14% FG, 63% FT, 2.0 APG)

Keys To Victory:
– Wear St. John’s down. It’s no secret that St. John’s is only playing a seven-man rotation for the first half of the season. Arizona coach Sean Miller has the luxury of playing ten, sometimes even eleven on any given night. The return of Kevin Parrom only makes Miller’s rotation deeper, which helps the Wildcats if the game is close late against a fatigued Red Storm team. However, St. John’s is one of the better conditioned teams in the nation. Solomon Hill and Jesse Perry will match up against God’sgift Achiuwa and Moe Harkless in a battle of the boards that could yield a double-double to each of the four combatants.

–Get to the glass. Through the first three games, Arizona has a plus-23 rebounding margin (116-93) against the minus-15 (98-113) on the St. John’s ledger. In addition to the aforementioned Perry and Hill, (49 rebounds combined this season) Arizona also has 6-9 freshman Angelo Chol at their disposal, and he has managed 15 rebounds through the first three contests. Kyle Fogg and Kevin Parrom can also get to the ball even though both are considered scorers before rebounders.

–Take the crowd out of it early. St. John’s established a true homecourt advantage at Madison Square Garden last season, but this atmosphere actually favors Arizona since the Wildcats averaged close to 13,000 through their first three games on their home court of the McKale Center in Tucson. Being no stranger to playing in front of big crowds, Arizona can feed off what will likely be a house of over 10,000 at the Garden and play inspired basketball that will force St. John’s to pick up the pieces early. If the Red Storm are without their sixth man in the stands, it could be an uphill battle.

So, Who Wins?
St. John’s is not shying away from the fact that this game is their first “Super Bowl” of the season. On the other side of the court, Arizona has some battle scars from big games against the likes of Duke and Connecticut in last year’s NCAA Tournament. This game will come down to how well St. John’s is able to react to the Madison Square Garden stage and how well they can adjust to Arizona’s depth. The Wildcats will try to come out to an early lead after a couple of threes, but don’t be surprised to see the Red Storm try to match them shot for shot in the early going. Arizona will ultimately win out due to their multitude of options on the roster, even though you can expect St. John’s to give an inspired effort while playing a cohesive brand of basketball throughout the night.

Final Score: Arizona 74, St. John’s 68