St. John's vs Pittsburgh January 23rd 2008

St. John’s @ Pittsburgh

The Johnnies return to action in the Big Apple on Wednesday against the Panthers, as they look to feed off the emotion the Giants have given NYC.

After dropping their third straight game in West Virginia last Thursday, St. John’s is in desperate need of a victory at the World’s Most Famous Arena. This will be the first game at the Garden for the Redmen since the loss to Virginia Tech in the Holiday Festival. With the city buzzing about the Giants improbable run to Super Bowl XLII, it would be a great time for St. John’s to make some noise of their own with an upset win against a ranked team.

It would be foolish to ever wish for a game against a ranked opponent, especially considering St. John’s current record. But, I think this game could potentially come at a perfect time for the Johnnies. Although they are 1-4 in the Big East, including an inexcusable loss at home to Depaul, there are currently 9 teams hovering around the .500 mark. If St. John’s wants any chance of trying to get in the Big East Tournament this season, they are going to need to protect their home court as most teams have done so far this season in conference play. Most fans, including myself, are rapidly losing hope for any chance at playing into March this season, as this team could very easily be 1-7 before Super Bowl Sunday. And although I am normally quite the pessimist, I will give one optimistic statistic about this season thus far. Aside from the game at Connecticut, the three other losses in conference (@ SU, Depaul, @ WVU) were only lost by an average of 7 points. In a season with not much to cheer for, the fans can at least try to take something positive out of that number. This could certainly change as the season progresses, but as of now it means this team is close. Add one or two more players (or maybe just let one graduate) and this team could be extremely competitive with the right coaching next season.

The Johnnies always seem to play Pittsburgh well at the Garden, upending the Panthers in their last two meetings in NYC. This Pittsburgh team is certainly not playing up to expectations due to key injuries to Levance Fields and Mike Cook. Not to mention, Ronald Ramon is playing with one dislocated shoulder and a torn rotator cuff in the other. Head Coach Jamie Dixon has the daunting task of trying to find his team’s identity without two impact players. They suffered an unexpected loss in Cincinnati this past weekend, to drop their record in conference to 3-2. Regardless, Pittsburgh is still 15-3 overall and continue to stay in the Top 25 week after week, as they currently sit at #17 in the Coaches poll.

St. John’s always has their upset at the Garden every season. This Wednesday would be a great time to pull off another one. The Panthers are vulnerable, especially on the road. The Johnnies are in need of a win before they head to Freedom Hall this weekend. Upsets are in the air in the Big Apple. Now if only EL can play like ELI.

SEE YOU AT THE GARDEN.

-The Game-

On Wednesday January 23rd, the Red Storm of St. John’s University play host to the Panthers from the University of Pittsburgh. The game will be played at Madison Square Garden, with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 PM. This Big East contest can be seen on the MSG Network and heard live on WFAN 660-AM.