St. John’s Takes On Lehigh in Game Two of 2k Classic

St. John’s gave their fans a little bit of everything Monday night in their season opener against William & Mary: A sluggish start, struggles at the free throw line, and ultimately twenty perfect minutes during the second half on their way to a 74-59 victory.

Nurideen Lindsey’s 17 second-half points ignited a defensive showcase that forced 21 turnovers, with four players in double figures and a seven-man rotation that outlasted the Tribe for 40 minutes.

The show goes on no less than 48 hours after the collegiate debuts of all but one of the Red Storm players, with Patriot League foe Lehigh next up on St. John’s schedule in what will continue the preliminary round of the 2K Sports Classic.

Below, we take a closer look at Lehigh, and get you further prepared for the opening tip of game number two.

Date: Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Location: Carnesecca Arena; Jamaica, New York
Time: 7:00 PM EST
TV: ESPN2 (Bob Wischusen, Len Elmore)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Tim O’Toole)
Online: WSJURadio.org (Mike Rossillo, Vince Ruffino)
LehighSports.com (Matt Kerr, Steve Lomangino)

St. John’s Red Storm (1-0)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin (2nd season, 22-12; 167-90 overall)

Projected Starting Lineup:
G Nurideen Lindsey (6-3 So., 19.0 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 67% FG, 38% FT, 4.0 APG, 5.0 SPG)
G Malik Stith (5-11 Jr., 2.0 PPG, 100% FG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 SPG)
G D’Angelo Harrison (6-3 Fr., 14.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 46% FG, 67% FT, 1.0 APG, 1.0 SPG)
F God’sgift Achiuwa (6-8 Jr., 17.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 55% FG, 71% FT, 1.0 APG, 1.0 BPG)
F Moe Harkless (6-8 Fr., 17.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 41% FG, 33% 3pt, 33% FT, 4.0 APG, 1.0 BPG, 2.0 SPG)

Key Reserves:
F Sir’Dominic Pointer (6-5 Fr., 5.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 67% FG, 100% 3pt, 1.0 BPG, 1.0 SPG)
G Phil Greene (6-2 Fr., 1.0 RPG, 1.0 APG, 2.0 SPG)

Keys To Victory:

– All press, all the time. Once the second half started Monday night, St. John’s wore down William & Mary within minutes with their stifling matchup zone and press defense. After getting burned from long range by the Tribe in the opening period, the Red Storm forced 21 turnovers, while committing only four of their own. Lehigh comes into this game having averaged 74 points per game last season in the offensively-oriented Patriot League, ten more than William & Mary managed on a nightly basis last season. Lehigh also has a potent second option in 6-9 forward Gabe Knutson, who should be the get a number of open looks in the paint, simply because of his height advantage on the block.

– Watch the star guard. Lehigh’s C.J. McCollum is a 6-3 junior who just so happens to enter this season as the Patriot League’s Preseason Player of the Year. In his sophomore campaign, he averaged just under 22 points and eight rebounds for the Mountain Hawks, en route to the Patriot League championship game, where they lost to Bucknell. McCollum will undoubtedly be the focal point on the wing for Lehigh, as he can do a little bit of everything. If St. John’s can take him out of the game early and force point guard Mackey McKnight to get the supporting cast involved, it will be a long night for the boys from Pennsylvania.

– Stay out of foul trouble. After Monday night’s 12-of-25 performance at the charity stripe, the last thing a young team like St. John’s wants to do is get into a battle at the line with a team like Lehigh, who shot 76 percent from the line as a team last season. In fact, each of the Mountain Hawks’ starters shot 70 percent or better from the stripe a year ago, led by McCollum (85 percent) and McKnight (84 percent). If the game is close in the final five minutes, the potential for it to be won or lost at the line increases dramatically, and plays into Lehigh’s favor.

Now, for a little more on the guys across the court…

Lehigh Mountain Hawks (2010-11 Record: 16-15, 6-8 Patriot League)
Head Coach: Brett Reed (5th season, 66-55)

Projected Starting Lineup: (Stats reflect 2010-11 season)
G Mackey McKnight (6-0 So., 7.6 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 34% FG, 84% FT, 3.7 APG)
G C.J. McCollum (6-3 Jr., 21.8 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 40% FG, 32% 3pt, 85% FT, 2.1 APG, 2.5 SPG)
F Jordan Hamilton (6-6 Sr., 5.0 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 47% FG, 75% FT)
F Holden Greiner (6-7 Jr., 6.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 46% FG, 72% FT, 1.0 BPG)
F Gabe Knutson (6-9 Jr., 12.2 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 50% FG, 74% FT)

Key Reserves:
G Anthony D’Orazio (6-2 So., 2.4 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 40% FG, 33% FT)

Keys To Victory:

– McLovin. What better way to expose a young team than by allowing your star player to introduce himself early and often? C.J. McCollum will be hearing his name called from the opening tip until the final buzzer for the Mountain Hawks after a sensational sophomore season that was good enough to earn the title of top returning scorer in the nation, going into this season. McCollum is truly a jack of all trades: a wing who can score, pass and rebound just as well as those five inches taller than him. In other words, think D.J. Kennedy, but with more of an offensive touch around the basket.

– Establish a post presence. The primary candidate for this role is expected to be 6-9 junior forward Gabe Knutson, who is one inch taller than the biggest Red Storm forwards, God’sgift Achiuwa and Moe Harkless. Knutson is no slouch offensively himself, coming off a sophomore season that saw him average twelve points and just under six rebounds per game. If the St. John’s matchup zone places McCollum in situations where he is double-teamed, look for Lehigh to run back-door cuts to get Knutson the ball under the rim and beat St. John’s to the paint. The Red Storm outscored William & Mary 44-10 in that department Monday night, but Lehigh is a bigger team than the Tribe.

– Get the bench involved. Lehigh has a deeper bench than St. John’s (who doesn’t?) and returns four reserves from last year’s Patriot League runner-up unit. However, sophomore guard Anthony D’Orazio was the most productive of the returning bench players, and he averaged just 2.4 points per game. Lehigh may have the numbers, but both of the St. John’s reserves (Phil Greene and Sir’Dominic Pointer) have demonstrated an ability to make themselves known offensively. Therefore, if this matchup extends to the bench, coach Brett Reed will need to find ways to create opportunities for his substitutes early and often.

So, Who Wins?

Now that St. John’s has played their first regular season game, both their coaching staff and the opponents they will face are able to prepare for them to some degree. Don’t be surprised to see some of the plays that worked against William & Mary be unsuccessful this time around as a result. However, the Johnnies will be able to employ their high-octane transition game more freely than they did Monday night. Lehigh will be able to run with St. John’s, but only as far as McCollum and Knutson will take them in a game that will prepare them for their one other matchup against a big-name opponent, which comes in December against Michigan State at the Breslin Center. St. John’s wins convincingly, but not in a blowout.

Final Score: St. John’s 77, Lehigh 62