Surging Red Storm Shoot For Three Straight As Irish Come To Garden

A two-game winning streak is all it takes for even the slightest bit of optimism to make its way to the corner of Union and Utopia.

After the latest St. John’s victory; a 79-72 decision over DePaul Monday night, the Red Storm now look for their third three-game winning streak of the year when they contest their final regular season home game. Standing in their way is a team that has surprisingly made their way up to second in the Big East standings, the University of Notre Dame. Yet, for all the Fighting Irish have accomplished this season and in years past, the institution notorious for “Touchdown Jesus” and “Rudy” has not defeated St. John’s on the hardwood at the “World’s Most Famous Arena” since March of 2004. Just to put this in perspective, George W. Bush was in his first term as President of the United States, Norm Roberts was hired by the Red Storm shortly thereafter, and this writer was a senior in high school the last time Notre Dame earned a regular season win at Madison Square Garden.

This Notre Dame team is different, though, having won a school record nine consecutive games coming into tomorrow’s matinee. Something has to give, and JohnnyJungle.com gives you all the background information leading up to this pivotal Big East showdown.

Date: Saturday, February 25, 2012
Location: Madison Square Garden; New York, New York
Time: 12:00 PM EST
TV: ESPN2 (Dave Pasch, Doris Burke)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Tim O’Toole)
Online: WSJURadio.org (Kieran Lynch, Jon Perez)

St. John’s Red Storm (12-16, 5-10)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin* (2nd season at STJ; 33-28, 178-106 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., 7.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 36% FG, 77% FT, 3.0 APG, 1.3 SPG)
G D’Angelo Harrison (6-3 Fr., 17.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 38% FG, 38% 3pt, 82% FT, 2.2 APG, 1.6 SPG)
F Amir Garrett (6-6 Fr., 6.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 46% FG, 57% FT, 1.0 APG, 1.1 SPG)
F Sir’Dominic Pointer (6-5 Fr., 6.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 40% FG, 57% FT, 1.6 APG, 1.6 SPG)
F Moe Harkless (6-8 Fr., 15.6 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 45% FG, 66% FT, 1.4 APG, 1.5 BPG, 1.7 SPG)

Key Reserves:
F God’sgift Achiuwa (6-8 Jr., 9.3 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 53% FG, 68% FT)

Keys To Victory:
– Guard play. Phil Greene and D’Angelo Harrison need to approach this game with the mindset that they are the only players on the court. Yes, Notre Dame has a better front line than the Red Storm, but Greene and Harrison are more essential to the chances of a Red Storm win with their backcourt counterparts (Eric Atkins and Jerian Grant) being the two leading scorers for the Fighting Irish, accounting for a combined 26 points per game. Greene and Harrison average 25 combined; so if they can take over the game and force Notre Dame to get in transition to make their baskets, the Red Storm have already won half the battle.

– Find God. It’s no secret that we’ll all see a lot of God’sgift Achiuwa tomorrow since Moe Harkless cannot defend Jack Cooley alone. Achiuwa has hurt the Red Storm more than he has helped them unfortunately due to his struggles inside the paint and also while receiving passes. However, after Cooley, Notre Dame has no major size to speak of; so if Achiuwa and Harkless can double-team the 6-9 junior, it will be another small obstacle St. John’s will have overcome.

– Grind it out. If this game turns into a track meet, Notre Dame will be in control before the end of the first half. It is safe to say that this will be more of a defensive-oriented matchup for St. John’s in that they need to force the issue on that side of the ball and make Notre Dame resort to maximizing the shot clock to get the best opportunity possible. If you look back to the January 3, 2009 matchup against the Irish, that is the defensive effort needed. In that game, Luke Harangody was forced to carry Notre Dame on his back as St. John’s got Tory Jackson in foul trouble and Paris Horne contested every shot taken by sharpshooter Kyle McAlarney on the way to a 71-65 Red Storm victory in what was Norm Roberts’ signature win of his six-year tenure in Queens.

From South Bend, Indiana comes the program noted for its iconic “Victory March” fight song.

No. 18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (20-8, 12-3)
Head Coach: Mike Brey (12th season at ND; 258-128, 357-180 overall)

Projected Starting Lineup:
G Eric Atkins (6-1 So., 13.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 41% FG, 38% 3pt, 75% FT, 4.0 APG, 1.3 SPG)
G Jerian Grant (6-5 So., 13.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 41% FG, 37% 3pt, 81% FT, 4.9 APG, 1.4 SPG)
G Scott Martin (6-8 Sr., 9.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 38% FG, 72% FT, 1.7 APG)
F Pat Connaughton (6-5 Fr., 7.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 43% FG, 38% 3pt, 74% FT)
F Jack Cooley (6-9 Jr., 12.2 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 62% FG, 71% FT, 1.6 BPG)

Key Reserves:
G Alex Dragicevich (6-7 So., 7.1 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 40% FG, 34% 3pt, 73% FT, 1.4 APG)
G Joey Brooks (6-6 Jr., 3.8 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 42% FG, 44% [7/16] 3pt, 59% FT)

Keys To Victory:
– More with less. A lot of coaches are able to get a lot from a little, but no one does it as consistently or as well as Mike Brey has. Notre Dame has managed to overcome an injury to their star player for the second time in three years to find a way to position themselves among the class of the Big East, and Brey’s six-man rotation (seven if you include reserve Joey Brooks) is the reason why. Much like 2010; when the Irish went to the “burn offense” when Luke Harangody was on the shelf midway through Big East play, the Irish have reinvented themselves and exceeded expectations after losing Tim Abromaitis to a torn ACL.

– All in the family. Not only does Jerian Grant have a prior connection to Mike Brey, (both played high school basketball at perennial national powerhouse DeMatha Catholic in Maryland) he also has NBA lineage. Grant’s father Harvey was a starting forward for the Washington Bullets in the early 1990s, while his uncle Horace (Harvey’s twin brother by the way) won three NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls as a complement to Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Grant’s professional pedigree has carried over to his own game in his first season at the collegiate level, as he has averaged thirteen points and nearly five assists per game while leading the Notre Dame rotation with a 38 percent shooting clip from three-point range.

– Harangody Jr.? When you look at Jack Cooley for the first time, it’s not inconceivable to think that Luke Harangody is still on the Notre Dame roster given the striking physical resemblance both players have to one another. However, Cooley’s similarity to his predecessor goes far beyond the mirror. After being the latest in a long line of Notre Dame players to chip in off the bench before joining the starting five, Cooley has had a Harangody-like campaign in his junior season with averages of twelve points and nine rebounds per game. In Big East play, the 6-9 forward is averaging a double-double per night with fourteen points and ten rebounds per game. In fact, Cooley has ten double-doubles on the season, including six in his last nine games.

So, Who Wins?
St. John’s still has slim NIT hopes, but they would have to win each of their last three games while also taking at least two in the Big East tournament to get to .500 and boost their resume in hopes of participating in the nation’s oldest postseason tournament. For Notre Dame, this game is all about seeding. A win could keep the Irish in play for a top four seed in the NCAA Tournament provided their return trip to the Garden next week goes well, while a loss drops them into a high six/low seven seed. Each matchup between these two teams is usually close with the potential for a rout, and this one is no exception. Look for St. John’s to give the Irish all they can handle; but at the end of the day, Notre Dame’s talent and Mike Brey’s ability to get the best out of a seven-man rotation will win out. Notre Dame gets a scare, but earns the respect of the selection committee with a hard-fought road win.

Final Score: Notre Dame 74, St. John’s 66