DePaul Pregame Links

http://www.depaulbluedemons.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/022211aaa.html

CHICAGO - DePaul travels to St. John’s for a Wednesday night date at Carnesecca Arena with the Red Storm. The Blue Demons and Red Storm square off at 7 p.m. ET in Queens, N.Y. on the BIG EAST Network and 670 The Score.

DePaul enters the game at 7-19 overall and 1-13 in BIG EAST play while St. John’s, ranked No. 23 in this week’s AP poll and No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ top 25, is 17-9 overall and 9-5 in league action. Wednesday is the 27th all-time meeting between the two programs in a series that started in January 1932. The Blue Demons lead the series, 14-12, but St. John’s has claimed victories in each of the last three meetings.

Pregame Press Conference

http://www.redstormsports.com/allaccess/?media=232043

Ranked for the first time in 11 years and coming off a 60-59 upset of No. 4 Pittsburgh that may have sealed an NCAA Tournament bid, St. John's has returned to relevancy.

Now the Red Storm face a different kind of challenge: to avoid resting on its laurels or being seduced by the sweet sound of the accolades they are receiving.

After rising to the occasion against the Panthers before an energized crowd of 14,514 at the Garden on Saturday and moving to No. 23 in the national rankings Monday, the Johnnies (17-9, 9-5 Big East) have gone from hunters to hunted. Now they must avoid losing a potential trap game tonight against lowly DePaul (7-19, 1-13) at Carnesecca Arena.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/lavin_storm_warning_T7k3hrsFb3XDHx3YlAhJPL#ixzz1EmpradKf

Signs of St. John's emergence from years of irrelevance in New York are everywhere, not just in the obvious places such as the huge crowds when it plays at the Garden.

The FedEx delivery man in Red Storm coach Steve Lavin's neighborhood pulled his truck over to stop him and rave about senior guard Dwight Hardy's performance in Saturday's win over No. 4 Pittsburgh, a victory that moved the Johnnies into the top 25 for the first time in nearly 11 years.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/2011/02/23/2011-02-23_taking_hoops_world_by_storm.html

Burrell said he has no intention of returning to the losing, "dark" ways of the past.

"Now, my mom's nice, puts a couple of extra dollars in my account," he said. "Teachers are being extra nice. Everyone is smiling a little harder. The campus life is a little bit more fun. Everything is great."

 

AP article by O'Connell

NEW YORK -- One sign that you've made it in New York City is being recognized by the man in the street. Steve Lavin might soon need a disguise.

"The FedEx guy is always stopping me in my neighborhood, a big fan," the first-year St. John's coach said Tuesday, three days after the Red Storm beat No. 4 Pittsburgh, a victory that moved them into the Top 25 for the first time in over a decade.

"He was raving about Dwight Hardy yesterday as if I didn't see the game. He's just excited about basketball. He'll just jump out of the truck to talk while I'm trying to get my coffee. He's been giving me some good pep talks."

http://www.seattlepi.com/cbasketball/2060ap_bkc_t25_st_johns_returns.html