Twelve days ago, St. John’s dropped their third straight game when they fell to Detroit on the road. Since then, the atmosphere around the Red Storm program has underwent a complete 180.
Shortly following the Detroit game, point guard Nurideen Lindsey announced his intentions to transfer once final exams were completed at the end of the semester. With Lindsey on the verge of departing, Phil Greene will likely see the lion’s share of the minutes at the point starting today as St. John’s takes the court for the first time in twelve days when the Red Storm hosts Fordham in the Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden. Once a two-day tournament, the Holiday Festival is now a one-day soiree; and the Johnnies will have revenge on their minds against Fordham, who erased a 21-point deficit with two 16-0 runs in the second half to upset St. John’s on their home court in the Bronx one year ago. The Red Storm then used that game as motivation for their captivating run through the Big East into the NCAA Tournament. Below, JohnnyJungle.com helps you get caught up on all the background information heading into the long-anticipated rematch in midtown Manhattan.
Date: Saturday, December 17, 2011
Location: Madison Square Garden; New York, New York
Time: 2:30 PM EST
TV: MSG Plus (Mike Crispino, Brandon Brown)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Tim O’Toole)
WFUV 90.7 FM, wfuv.org (Kyle Kesses, Ricky Cibrano)
Online: WSJURadio.org (Mike Rossillo, Kieran Lynch)
St. John’s Red Storm (4-5)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin (2nd season, 25-17; 170-95 overall)
Projected Starting Lineup:
G Phil Greene (6-2 Fr., 6.1 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 39% FG, 71% FT, 1.8 APG, 1.0 SPG)
G D’Angelo Harrison (6-3 Fr., 13.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 35% FG, 32% 3pt, 82% FT, 1.3 APG, 1.4 SPG)
F Sir’Dominic Pointer (6-5 Fr., 6.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 56% FG, 44% 3pt, 41% FT, 1.0 SPG)
F God’sgift Achiuwa (6-8 Jr., 11.4 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 51% FG, 76% FT, 1.1 BPG)
F Moe Harkless (6-8 Fr., 14.9 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 43% FG, 64% FT, 1.3 APG, 1.8 BPG, 1.8 SPG)
Key Reserves:
G Malik Stith (5-11 Jr., 3.7 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 43% FG, 40% 3pt, 71% FT, 1.7 APG)
Keys To Victory:
– Good things come in small packages. Not in terms of height, but numbers. Now that Nurideen Lindsey is on his way out, St. John’s will be employing a six-man rotation until Amir Garrett is declared eligible. Garrett will not be able to suit up until Wednesday at the earliest, so the Red Storm will have an even shorter bench for at least one game should Lindsey not play. With that being said, the margin for error decreases just as much. In order for the Red Storm to walk out of the Garden winners, they need to cut down on their average of 14 turnovers per game; and only two players in the rotation have more assists than turnovers.
– Greene means go. Phil Greene has had some of the greatest moments of his young career inside Madison Square Garden, and the Chicago native returns to the “World’s Most Famous Arena” with the keys to the Red Storm offense following the Lindsey transfer announcement. Greene’s primary assignment will likely be fellow freshman Devon “Fatty” McMillan in defensive matchups, with Branden Frazier perhaps moving over from his position off the ball. Against a Fordham team that is susceptible to yielding the open shot, Greene and D’Angelo Harrison will likely be the targets early and often.
– Take advantage of the mismatch. Fordham will likely start three guards, but Chris Gaston is a small forward that is forced into the power forward spot due to the Rams’ undersized roster. This lack of height will give God’sgift Achiuwa the chance to exploit a small Fordham lineup and beat Gaston into the low post. Sir’Dominic Pointer gives up two inches to the 6-7 Gaston, but has the athleticism and speed to cut the New Jersey product off inside if need be as well.
Coming over the Triboro Bridge and into Midtown looking for their second consecutive win over St. John’s are the pride of the Bronx.
Fordham Rams (4-5)
Head Coach: Tom Pecora (2nd season at Fordham, 11-26; 166-152 overall)
Projected Starting Lineup:
G Devon McMillan (5-10 Fr., 11.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 33% FG, 63% FT, 3.3 APG, 2.0 SPG)
G Branden Frazier (6-1 So., 10.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 38% FG, 56% FT, 2.8 APG, 1.7 SPG)
G Bryan Smith (6-2 Fr., 9.3 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 39% FG, 31% 3pt, 50% FT, 1.6 APG, 1.7 SPG)
F Chris Gaston (6-7 Jr., 14.6 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 40% FG, 75% 3pt, 55% FT, 1.0 APG, 1.9 BPG, 1.3 SPG)
F Kervin Bristol (6-10 Sr., 4.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 52% FG, 40% FT, 2.1 BPG)
Key Reserves:
G Alberto Estwick (6-3 Sr., 3.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 34% FG, 25% FT)
F Marvin Dominique (6-7 So., 3.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 47% FG, 83% FT)
Keys To Victory:
– Score. Plain and simple. Fordham has only eclipsed 70 points twice this season, whereas St. John’s has done so in four games. However, the Red Storm have yet to top the 70-point plateau since scoring 72 in the losing effort against Arizona one month ago at the Garden. The offensive dropoff on the part of the Red Storm gives Fordham an additional glimmer of hope, but the Rams’ 38 percent clip from the field will need to be improved against a St. John’s team that can and will hit an open shot if given the opportunity.
– Combo guards. Freshman Devon “Fatty” McMillan and sophomore Branden Frazier both have the ability to run the point for Tom Pecora, but only Frazier has demonstrated an equal talent to excel off the ball. Frazier, who committed to Hofstra last season only to follow Pecora to Fordham once he took the job there in March of 2010, was a huge factor in the Rams’ upset win at Rose Hill Gym against the Red Storm last year, tallying 16 points and five assists despite early foul trouble.
– Win the battle of the boards. Pecora’s team has done that on average this season, outrebounding their opponents by a slim 38-37 margin. A major part of that is forward Chris Gaston, who needs 11 rebounds today to average a double-double for the season. Gaston’s innate ability to track down the ball wherever it may be on the court gives him the advantage against a rather inexperienced duo of God’sgift Achiuwa and Moe Harkless, both of whom are still adjusting to the style of play in their first seasons at the Division I level.
So, Who Wins?
Fordham will be looking to prove that last year was no fluke. The homecourt advantage that was so deeply in their favor twelve months ago at Rose Hill is gone, replaced by the bright lights of Madison Square Garden and the memories of Red Storm magic created within the past year. Malik Stith may be the only member of the team still around for St. John’s, and there is no doubt that the junior guard remembers the image of Fordham fans rushing the court in the wake of the Rams’ 84-81 victory last season. This game won’t be the prettiest one you’ll see this year, but sometimes the game is a war. It will be a lot closer than people think now that St. John’s has a smaller bench than they have been accustomed to, but Goliath gets his revenge on David this time around only because Fordham is still a work in progress.
Final Score: St. John’s 71, Fordham 61
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