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St. John’s fell in hard fought game against Indiana

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The big question entering this game was will St. John’s crumble and get crushed by another ranked team or would they show improvement?

I’m not one for moral victories but the inexperienced and undermanned St. John’s squad got one against Indiana. The team fell down early but battled back to keep within striking distance at half time. St. John’s stormed out in the second half to cut the deficit to two possessions but Indiana proved to be just too much winning by a final of 83-73.

Game Notes

Positives:

  • Ron Mvouika is emotional leader of this team. Guys feed off his energy.
  • Felix is bringing a spark off the bench and he’s playing with extreme confidence going to the rim.
  • It’s time to proclaim that Mussini is for real. Back to back games against elite guards and he held his own.
  • Chris Mullin is a leader.
  • Yankuba Sima battle with Thomas Bryant on the low block made you think this game was in the 80’s.
  • Team only had 11 turnovers.
  • Mussini’s change of speed/direction is fun to watch.
  • When Mussini did his 3 point holster celebration.
  • Use of Holifield off the bench. Great spot minutes to give Mussini a breather.
  • Durand Johnson still isn’t impacting game as expected but wasn’t a negative player today.
  • Christian Jones playing harder on both ends of the floor. He will continue to get better with reps.
  • Winning the 2nd half 42-41.

Negatives:

  • Team started out slow and let Indiana establish in the paint.
  • Missing every 3 point attempt in the first half.
  • Ron Mvouika fouling twice on 3 point shot attempts. Ugh!
  • Amar Alibegovic having 4 fouls in 15 min. He averages a foul once every 4 min on the season.
  • Team not fronting the post early in the game allowing easy catches in comfortable positions.
  • Ellison and Williams being out with injury.
  • Tom Crean’s facial expressions and fake tan.
  • Mvouika’s turnover in last 2 min.
  • Not being able to bike ride in Hawaii.

Overall

The team had it’s ups and downs during the course of the game but they battled to the very end. That’s telling of the culture that Mullin has created and continues to cultivate. You have to feel good for the future when Mullin’s short handed team can run with No. 13 team in the country.

Game Preview: Red Storm tries to bounce back against Hoosiers

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St. John’s got a good ole fashioned butt kicking yesterday against a very talented Vanderbilt team. Today could be a lot of the same as the Red Storm take on the No. 13 Indiana Hoosiers.

The Hoosiers dropped a tough game against Wake Forest yesterday which should only fuel their sense of urgency today. The Hoosiers share some similarities with Vanderbilt in the fact they have a stockpile of talented sophomores and experienced talent.

Senior Yogi Ferrell is the most recognizable name on the Hoosiers roster (seems like he’s been in college for 8 years) but he isn’t the only name you should watch out for. James Blackmon Jr. and Robert Johnson are two very talented sophomores and junior forward Troy Williams is always a threat to finish at the rim.

Freshman center Thomas Bryant is a bit of a wildcard at this point but you can’t underestimate his potential impact.

Game Info

Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Location: Lahaina Civic Center, Honolulu, HI
Time: 2:00 PM EST
TV: ESPN2, Watch ESPN App
Radio: 970 WYNM, TuneIn app

Key Matchup

Chris Mullin vs Tom Crean

There are no real 1 on 1 match-ups in this game that are the key to this game for St. John’s. Indiana is superior at every position on the floor. It will be interesting to see how Mullin (drinks Perrier on sideline) will attack and try to slow down Tom Crean (drinks Diet Coke on sideline).

Keys to Victory

  • Eliminate bad shots- Too often yesterday St. John’s heaved the ball at the rim in desperation. St. John’s needs to show patience and move the ball around to get higher percentage looks. Taking bad shots is just as bad as committing a turnover.
  • Pack it in- Make Indiana beat you from the outside and force them to make shots. Ferrell, Blackmon, and Johnson can all attack off the bounce which allows them to kick for open shots on perimeter. Keep these guys on the perimeter and deny anything inside especially easy dump offs to Williams and Bryant.
  • Win the board battle- The Hoosiers don’t have an intimidating front line but they have big physical guards. You can’t let these guards out hustle on the glass especially on the offensive end. They are too good to allow them to have multiple looks on same possession.
  • Attack the post- St. John’s showed the willingness to go into the post yesterday despite that being the strength of Vanderbilt’s defense. Indiana on the other hand is permeable in the paint. Thomas Bryant has been stellar for the Hoosiers so far but Bryant isn’t the most disciplined defender. He is very liable to foul when challenged repeatedly. Troy Williams and Max Bielfeldt are both weak post defenders who can be out muscled by Christian Jones.