What in the hell was that? St. John’s came out tenacious and aggressive, and Louisville folded like a house of… ah… Cards. A nice win for the Johnnies, and nice momentum going into their road game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. At 3-8 in the conference, there is still room for a string of wins and the building of confidence. If St. John’s can play as they did against Louisville with consistency, they may find themselves knocking off a few teams that they were not expected to.
Meanwhile, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have taken the “D†out of their name. A team that was already mediocre on defense has become entirely indifferent, to the point where they won’t be able to win in the Big East. It’s not an issue of defensive weaknesses… it’s like they just don’t defend, not at a competitive level. The offense is excellent, and pulls out wins, but the team prefers to allow opponents to shoot, and won’t body up and commit fouls.
But the main offensive weapon – player of the year candidate Luke Harangody – is out with a bone bruise. What will the Irish look like? Can they defend their home court against the offensively challenged Red Storm? Can the Red Storm take advantage of a soft defense and get some shots to fall? Or will St. John’s recurring road woes and jump shooting inconsistency doom the team?
Read More pregame notes with help of ND blogger Mike of
Black and Green Irish Report at
Calm Before the Storm: Around the Bend