Louisville

Red Storm Looking for Signature Win on the Road Against Louisville

February 13, 2013 by Anthony Ramos Leave a Comment

The St. John’s Red Storm will enter the KFC Yum! Center to face the #12 ranked Louisville Cardinals on Valentine’s Day looking to break some hearts. The Red Storm are coming off a road loss to Syracuse where they played tough but were out classed down the stretch by a better team. The loss was not back breaking for the Red Storm’s chance at the NCAA Tournament though as they will have a chance at a statement win at Louisville.

Louisville is coming off an epic five overtime loss at Notre Dame on Saturday and will be looking to rebound but the Cardinals have been mortal lately. They have lost four of their last seven after opening the season 16-1.

Louisville leads the season series against the Johnnies 10-6 and has won three of the past four meetings. Last season the Cardinals came to the Garden and put a beating on the Johnnies winning 73-58 in a game that was never close.

Game Information
Date: Wednesday, February 14th, 2013
Location: KFC Yum! Center- Louisville, KY
Time: 9:00 PM EST
TV: ESPN (Mike Patrick, Jimmy Dykes)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Brandon Tierney)

Louisville Cardinals (19-5, 7-4)
Head Coach: Rick Pitino

The Louisville Cardinals and head coach Rick Pitino are perfectionists and losing four of their last seven games is pretty unusual. Especially when the Cardinals boast some of the best players in the country including two of the best guards in the nation.

Queens native Russ Smith who spent three years at Archbishop Molloy in Briarwood under legendary coach Jack Curran. The junior guard is averaging 18.3 points per game and 2.6 assists on 40% shooting from the field. Smith is quick and gets in the lanes and makes things hard for the defense, especially with backcourt mate Peyton Siva always around.

Siva is averaging 10.3 points and six assists a game on 43% shooting from the field. The dangerous backcourt can bust a defense.

Another Cardinal to look out for is Chane Behanan. The 6’6 small forward is averaging 11.2 points per contest and dropped 30 points and 15 rebounds on 13-20 shooting in 56 minutes against Notre Dame in their five overtime classic. The sophomore forward will be next to stud 6’11 center Gorgui Dieng who is averaging 9.9 rebounds and will be a problem for the Johnnies on the boards.

Projected Starting Lineup:
C Gorgul Dieng
F Chane Behanan
G Russ Smith
G Peyton Siva
G Wayne Blackshear

St. John’s (15-9, 7-5)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin

JaKarr Sampson has racked up his league leading sixth Big East Rookie of the Week award and it certainly was well deserved. Sampson averaged 19.5 points and six rebounds while shooting 58.6% from the field in a win against Connecticut and a loss to Syracuse. Sampson lead the way in the loss at Syracuse with 21 points and six rebounds on 10-14 shooting. Sampson kept the Johnnies in it as long as he could with his spectacular play.

D’Angelo Harrison is still struggling and only racked up 13 points on 4-13 shooting from the field. The sophomore guard who started the season so hot has cooled down the past month or so. Harrison is not shooting at the same clip he had been but is still very important to this team in all that he does. Harrison and Marc-Antoine Bourgault, who had three points on 1-7 shooting, are the three point threats that will help break down a defense, especially with do it all sophomore point guard Jamal Branch still nursing a knee injury.

Branch who sprained his MCL against Georgetown on February 2nd is unlikely to play in his third consecutive game, although Branch is traveling with the team and is listed as day to day. Steve Lavin will not coach as he is still with his family following the passing of his father, Cap. Rico Hines will be on the sidelines for the Red Storm as acting head coach.

Projected Starting Lineup:
F JaKarr Sampson
F Sir’Dominic Pointer
G Marc-Antoine Bourgault
G Phil Greene
G D’Angelo Harrison

Keys to Victory

Hit the glass- Louisville is a good rebounding team, they’ve got length and size and the Johnnies will need their best to hit the glass. The Cardinals average 14 offensive rebounds a game and our out rebounding their opponents by five per game. Chris Obekpa, Sampson and Sir’Dominic Pointer will have their hands full with another big team. They were able to pull even with a big Syracuse team splitting rebounds 30-30 but extra chances for the Orange sunk the Johnnies in the end.
D’Angelo’s Slump: Part Deux- D’Angelo Harrison is still in a slump. The sophomore guard who is 17 points away from the 1,000 career point club and can hit that mark with a signature game against the Cardinals, although I’m sure Harrison would trade the points for a huge road victory.
Oblockpa– Chris Obekpa hasn’t been blocking two many shots lately although he is still one of the top shot blockers in the country with 102 on the season. But if he’s blocking shots or not he is still an important big body that can change the way the guards drive in the paint or how many rebounds Dieng gets. Obekpa will be a big part of the game for St. John’s on Thursday night/
Hit em while they’re down- The Cardinals have been slumping lately, if the Johnnies can get out to a hot start, hit their shots, defend and rebound it will be huge. The Cardinals are coming off of a disastrous loss where they blew an eight point lead in the final minute, then went on to lose in five overtimes. The Cardinals can be vulnerable and if the Johnnies want their big resume building win this could be the game to make it happen.

Final Prediction: Louisville Wins, 65-61

St. John’s Opens 2012 By Hosting Louisville At Madison Square Garden

January 2, 2012 by Jaden Daly 1 Comment

The calendar has turned and for those associated with St. John’s basketball, the hope is that so too will the team’s fortunes following an 83-69 defeat at the hands of reigning national champion Connecticut to close out 2011.

Now that the team has returned home after the trip to Hartford, they prepare for another ranked team in the Louisville Cardinals. This game will be the third contest for the Red Storm in Big East play in addition to the 2012 opener for both sides, and a little more information about each team follows this introduction.

Date: Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Location: Madison Square Garden; New York, New York
Time: 7:00 PM EST
TV: ESPNU (Adam Amin, Bill Raftery)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Tim O’Toole)
Online: WSJURadio.org (TBD)

St. John’s Red Storm (7-6, 1-1)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin* (2nd season at STJ, 28-18; 173-96 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., 6.6 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 34% FG, 73% FT, 2.1 APG, 1.2 SPG)
G D’Angelo Harrison (6-3 Fr., 15.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 37% FG, 32% 3pt, 82% FT, 2.0 APG, 1.7 SPG)
F Sir’Dominic Pointer (6-5 Fr., 7.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 50% FG, 31% 3pt, 46% FT, 1.2 APG, 1.2 SPG)
F God’sgift Achiuwa (6-8 Jr., 12.3 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 54% FG, 74% FT, 1.2 BPG)
F Moe Harkless (6-8 Fr., 15.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 46% FG, 66% FT, 1.7 APG, 1.6 BPG, 1.8 SPG)

Key Reserves:
G Malik Stith (5-11 Jr., 3.2 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 42% FG, 38% 3pt, 67% FT, 1.2 APG)
F Amir Garrett (6-6 Fr., 1.7 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 40% FG, 50% FT, 1.0 APG)

Keys To Victory:
– Control the pace. Louisville is notorious for being able to dictate the tempo, so the Red storm have to be the aggressors Tuesday night in order to emerge victorious. In both of the last two meetings with the Cardinals at the Garden; St. John’s played on their terms, forcing Louisville to play defense in a loss in February 2009 and a convincing 19-point win in January 2010.

– Actions speak louder than words. Moe Harkless admitted that he “didn’t take over the game as well as he should have” following the loss to UConn. The confident freshman forward should have more opportunities to do just that against a smaller Louisville lineup, but faces stiff competition inside against center Gorgui Dieng.

– Focus and finish. St. John’s proved that no lead is safe when they trimmed a 23-point UConn lead down to eleven late in the second half, and Mike Dunlap has been pleased with the incremental progress his unit has made since their loss to Kentucky last month. Even though Louisville is offensively proficient; the Red Storm are handling pressure situations much better than anyone expected at this point, which will keep them in the game if Louisville cannot close the door early in the second half.

Leading the charge for the opposition is a homegrown coach who returns to his hometown on the heels of a two-game losing streak.

No. 10 Louisville Cardinals (12-2, 0-1)
Head Coach: Rick Pitino (11th season at UL, 257-98; 611-226 overall)

Projected Starting Lineup:
G Peyton Siva (6-0 Jr., 9.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 33% FG, 80% FT, 6.2 APG, 2.0 SPG)
G Chris Smith (6-2 Sr., 9.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 40% FG, 39% 3pt, 75% FT, 2.7 APG, 1.2 SPG)
F Kyle Kuric (6-4 Jr., 12.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 49% FG, 34% 3pt, 74% FT, 1.1 APG, 1.6 SPG)
F Chane Behanan (6-6 Fr., 8.4 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 43% FG, 60% FT)
C Gorgui Dieng (6-11 So., 10.1 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 56% FG, 64% FT, 1.3 APG, 3.1 BPG)

Key Reserves:
G Russ Smith (6-0 So., 12.3 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 39% FG, 37% 3pt, 74% FT, 1.8 APG, 2.5 SPG)
F Jared Swopshire (6-8 Jr., 4.6 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 41% FG, 67% FT)

Keys To Victory:
– Right the ship. Regardless of who a program like Louisville plays, a two-game losing streak is cause for concern. St. John’s comes in off a battle against UConn where the Red Storm gained valuable experience in handling late-game deficits, and Louisville has had to play catch-up in much the same way their opponents Tuesday night attempted to against the reigning national champion Huskies. Expect Louisville to establish themselves early on as the stronger and more efficient team.

– Hey, you never know. After hard-fought losses to Georgetown and Kentucky; St. John’s is a game that the Cardinals and their fan base expect to win, but it is also a potential trap game. The Cardinals are looking to avenge an upset at the hands of the Johnnies in their most recent regular season trip to Madison Square Garden, which came in January of 2010 when the Norm Roberts-led Red Storm knocked off Louisville by the final of 74-55.

– Pound it inside. Combined, the duo of freshman Chane Behanan and sophomore Gorgui Dieng average over 18 points and 17 rebounds per game. Dieng in particular has been most impressive to watch after a shaky rookie campaign last season. The Senegalese import needs eight points and fifteen rebounds to average a double-double for the season; and might be able to attain the latter against God’sgift Achiuwa and Moe Harkless, who have not always been effective in beating their matchups to the paint.

So, Who Wins?
It has to get worse before it can get better. For St. John’s, the worst may have come in the aforementioned Kentucky game that the coaching staff now regards in much the same way they did with Fordham last year as a turning point for the season. In the Louisville camp, the potential to turn into a team on the decline is at its highest. A similar situation occurred in 2008-09 when a far more talented Notre Dame team came into the Garden ranked seventh in the country and lost to St. John’s for what would start a seven-game losing streak that ultimately cost the Fighting Irish an NCAA Tournament bid. Louisville has the right players and coach to avoid that misfortune. St. John’s will give the Cardinals all they can handle early, but the physicality and shooting of the Cardinals wins out as the night wears on.

Final Score: Louisville 73, St. John’s 62

Kentucky Fried Johnnies

January 20, 2011 by Jaden Daly Leave a Comment

Another night, another test for St. John’s. Only this time, it came from a team that many felt were a fluke despite a coach with a Hall of Fame resume that just happened to pick tonight’s opponent to win the conference before the season even started.

In one of the more one-sided games of the season for the Red Storm, they were simply no match for 15th-ranked Louisville, (15-3, 4-1 in the Big East) who overpowered the Johnnies (11-6, 4-3) by the final of 88-63 on the Cardinals’ home court at the newly-opened Yum! Center. Preston Knowles led the way for Louisville with 25 points, while Kyle Kuric added 20 on 7-of-9 shooting (5-of-7 from three-point range) and Peyton Siva had a near-triple-double with 10 points, 10 assists and seven steals.

“Louisville beat us to the punch in all aspects of the game,” said head coach Steve Lavin. “They were aggressive on defense and they were able to turn us over. They play with great confidence on offense, they were 7-of-10 from three. They really had their way for the most part of 40 minutes and were able to win the game.”

Paris Horne was one of only three Johnnies in double figures, his 13 points good enough for the team lead, while Malik Stith added 12 and Justin Brownlee contributed 11 in the losing effort for the Storm, whose 25 turnovers led to 30 Louisville points. The Cardinals also shot 53 percent from the field in a matchup where head coach Rick Pitino was again reminded of his controversial first-place vote for St. John’s in the Big East preseason poll.

“I just think that we had a great night, and they had a bad night. It happens,” stated the brutally honest Pitino. “I wasn’t just blowing smoke on picking number one. Obviously now, I think Pittsburgh is the number one team. That being said, if you have ten seniors, that gives you a lot of experience. They’re very talented. The third thing is they’re very hungry to make the tournament. I told them when I was going down the line, `You guys can make the tournament. They have to keep playing hard. They had an off night tonight. We had a very good night.”

Fortunately for Red Storm fans, the team has shown that they are capable of being tournament team more often than not, and they will get another chance this Saturday when Cincinnati invades Carnesecca Arena in what should be an underrated, but highly competitive, conference matchup.

Finally, we’ll leave you with our newfound tradition of providing some lasting impressions about this game in the Bluegrass State.

Lasting Impressions

-The Johnnies were unfortunately much more careless with the ball tonight than they had hoped to be. A season-high 25 turnovers resulting in 30 Cardinal points and seven steals for guard Peyton Siva were the biggest factors in the margin of victory.

-Kyle Kuric went into this game as somewhat of an enigma given his erratic scoring tendencies, and just as he did last year against Syracuse, he picked the right night to show up, scoring 20 on 7-of-9 shooting while draining five trifectas.

-Don’t sleep on the Cardinals. While they may not have an elite star, (unless you feel Preston Knowles is among the best of the conference) Rick Pitino has a versatile cast of role players that are realizing that the sum of the whole is greater than that of the parts.

-Malik Boothe and Malik Stith were once upon a time an effective backcourt tandem. However, that was back in the nonconference portion of the schedule, where teams were not as competitive as the Johnnies’ Big East brethren. Needless to say, the “M & M Boys” were just as counterproductive for Steve Lavin as they were last week on the road against Notre Dame, a matchup where the Irish won by 15.

-Although St. John’s hit free throws well once again, (17-for-18) they were done in by long-range shooting. The Cardinals outscored the Johnnies 39-6 (13 shots to 2) from beyond the arc, and St. John’s yielded nine of those threes to Knowles and Kuric alone.

Lavin A Johnny Rocket

October 21, 2010 by Jaden Daly Leave a Comment

Steve Lavin, shown here with ESPN's John Anderson at Red Storm Tip-Off, was center of attention at Big East media day. (Photo courtesy of Jaden Daly)

When Steve Lavin replaced Norm Roberts at St. John’s seven months ago, anyone who was remotely affiliated with St. John’s basketball realized immediately that positive changes were in store. Yesterday morning’s Big East media day proved no exception to the recent status quo in Queens, as Lavin was surrounded by hundreds of reporters, radio personnel and various other media members at Madison Square Garden for well over an hour. In fact, Lavin’s massive popularity kept him at the St. John’s table for an extra twenty minutes after his radio and print media session ended; and although late for the TV portion of the event, the extroverted head coach continued to stop and engage anyone who came within his field of vision on the way up the stairs.

Although there were more than enough nuggets from Coach Lavin himself to fill this post, (I’ll have some of those in a future edition of the Daly Dribble) the comments provided to me from Lavin’s sideline counterparts were just as beneficial in shedding some light on the increased expectations the Johnnies are now seeing for themselves.

Villanova head coach Jay Wright and UConn’s Jim Calhoun were the first to herald St. John’s experience. Calhoun said it would “carry them a long way. Always has, always will,” while Wright said the Johnnies “know what it takes to win,” and thinks “they’ll be a very good team.”

Mike Brey, the Notre Dame coach whose Fighting Irish team has lost to St. John’s in each of the last two years, was somewhat relieved to be welcoming the Johnnies into the Joyce Center in South Bend. Brey praised Lavin’s arrival and said he “inherits a team of experienced guys,” and that “he’ll do a very good job.” Brey also stated what Red Storm fans feel to be obvious when he proclaimed that there was “new life around the program.” West Virginia head man Bob Huggins complimented Lavin’s past recruiting record, which was on full display this past weekend with newcomer Dwayne Polee, who has made quite an impact since coming to the Queens campus.

Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, whose Orange squad heads into the Garden to tip off against the Johnnies on January 12, praised Lavin’s experience as well. “I think Steve’s going to do a great job. He’s got a lot of veterans, which is going to help him.” Boeheim also commented on Lavin’s marquee status being able to draw fans into the “World’s Most Famous Arena,” a venue that usually serves as a de facto home game for Syracuse. “When we play St. John’s here, there probably won’t be so much orange,” said Boeheim after I reminded him that nearly every Syracuse game at the Garden provides a sea of orange as the backdrop in the stands.

The most interesting and brutally honest commentary came from Louisville coach Rick Pitino, who created somewhat of an added buzz when it was revealed that he was the one coach who picked the Johnnies first in the Big East preseason poll, a vote won by Pittsburgh. “I’m just trying to throw something against the wall and hope it sticks,” gushed Pitino, who gave the story more juice by saying he “made that pick before Steve (Lavin) came along, and now that he’s come along, I’m happy with my pick.” Pitino emphasized the talent, experience and style the Johnnies have employed over the years as the reasons behind his rather surprising vote, as well as the hunger on the team considering that no St. John’s player has made the NCAA Tournament.

Fellow Big East newcomer Kevin Willard of Seton Hall spoke of creating a culture with Lavin and Rutgers head man Mike Rice that could draw high school kids to the New York area and not have them leave.

Cincinnati’s Mick Cronin went through a situation in his first year with the Bearcats similar to what Lavin will experience next year, one where almost every player graduated. Cronin did provide this great quote about Carnesecca Arena when I mentioned his team’s recent success there. “It takes the kids back to their high school days. It reminds them where they came from. It warms up pretty quick, but that doesn’t make it any easier to win,” stated the underrated Cronin, picked 12th in the Big East preseason poll.

Marquette coach Buzz Williams lauded Lavin as a “really good person” with great energy, calling his arrival a “perfect storm.” I’m not sure if there was any pun intended by Williams when he told me that, but fans of St. John’s are thinking the exact same thing.

Refocusing in the Bluegrass State

January 7, 2010 by Pico Dulce 2 Comments

Ambiance: Muhammad Ali on Sonny Liston (video link, pops up in a new window)

Ambiance: Social Distortion, Making Believe (live at CBGB) (video link, pops up in a new window)

Saturday at noon will see the St. John’s Red Storm return to basketball action against Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals. Since the Cardinals joined the Big East, they have beaten St. John’s 3 out of 4 conference matches. And a bit of trivia: the Red Storm has never faced them twice in a year. The Cardinals have put a tumultuous offseason for the Coach Pitino, along with some eyebrow raising losses to unheralded North Carolina schools behind them. And they have started 2-0 in the Big East. St. John’s comes is 0-2 and in need of a signature league win to renew confidence that the team is as good as some thought they were earlier in the year.

It’s tough to have a week between games after a bad conference loss, especially for a team that’s been down as long as St. John’s has been in the Big East hierarchy. A road trip to Louisville is not what the doctor would order… if there was a doctor for the team’s inconsistent performances. The return of Anthony Mason Jr. to limited basketball action could be a nudge in a positive direction. Malik Boothe is expected to return from a groin injury suffered against the Georgetown Hoyas. New players require the juggling of time, but more weapons mean a more dangerous (potentially) offensive and defensive team for the Johnnies. Both sides of the ball need to improve; the team cannot cough up as many turnovers as they did against Providence, or shoot as badly as they did against them and win.

Louisville is what they have been for a long time under Rick Pitino – a fast-paced, turnover-forcing team of athletes who go 8-10 deep with talent. They concentrate on defense and hustle; they are elite at forcing turnovers and absolute monsters on the offensive glass. They score most effectively inside, though their guards split their shot attempts evenly between the area inside the arc and outside.

However…. the Cardinals could stroke from the outside better, and they could rebound on defense more tenaciously. And at times, teams find themselves putting up comfortable shots – as Providence did in the first half against them on Wednesday. Louisville’s youth also shows at times with the fouls they commit; previous teams enjoyed the fortune of longer athletes who can cover more ground without physically bumping opponents.

Despite the loss against Kentucky, the Cardinals are quickly forming into shape. Can St. John’s hold on to the ball and surprise the folks in Freedom Hall with a road win?

Game Information

Tip Off: 12:00 PM, Saturday, January 9
Location: Freedom Hall
TV: SNY/ ESPN 360
Radio: Bloomberg 1130

Team Reviews

Louisville (11-4, 2-0)

10 PG Edgar Sosa SR 6’2 175: 14 ppg* 4.1 apg* 40.5% 3PT

34 G Jerry Smith SR 6′2 190: 9.2 ppg* 2.5 apg* 3.7 rpg* 1.2 spg

12 G Reginald Delk SR 6′5 200: 6.7 ppg* 46.3% 3PT

21 F Jared Swopshire SO 6′8 220: 8.1 ppg* 5.9 rpg* .8 spg* 33.3% 3PT

15 F/C Samardo Samuels SO 6′9 260: 15.9 ppg* 7.8 rpg* 1 bpg* 7.8 FTAtt/g

Bench

2 G Preston Knowles JR 6′1 190: 21.4 mpg* 8.2 ppg* 3.6 rpg* 3.3 apg* 1.3 spg

14 G Kyle Kuric SO 6′4 190: 14.2 mpg* 4.2 ppg* 3.3 rpg* .9 spg

23 F Terrence Jennings SO 6′10 240: 13.8 mpg* 6.1 ppg* 3.9 rpg* 1.1 bpg

4 F Rakeem Buckles FR 6′8 215: 12.2 mpg* 3.5ppg* 4 rpg

3 PG Peyton Siva FR 6′0 175: 12 mpg* 3.9 ppg* 1.8 apg* 1.3 spg

Don’t let the mediocre-sounding counting stats fool you. Louisville generally plays a large number of players, running equally talented athletes in to run their press and to keep the pressure on opponents. Samardo Samuels and Edgar Sosa play the most time and are most likely to shoot on any given possession. Samuels is the centerpiece of the team and is blossoming in his sophomore year, though he still has not become a complete rebounder; his real glass damage is done on the offensive end. The team feeds the post well – I see them doing it from the top of the key a lot – and St. John’s needs to find a way to keep Samuels shot attempts difficult, for he gets good deep position. Also up front, Jared Swopshire is progressing into a beast rebounder this year. Though lanky, he will chase balls out of his area and pull them in with great hands. But his shooting could use some work. His length makes itself known as a secondary defender, altering shots. Terrence Jennings – when he can stay on the floor – is even more effective as a weakside defender. Rakeem Buckles also plays well down low.

Sosa’s having an excellent senior year, and soon, he won’t have to play the team he hates so much anymore. We’ll both be happy. His shot attempts are evenly divided between 2’s and 3’s (he will drive to the hoop and take jumpers from the left and right of the center of the arc), and he is passing the ball well. He turns the ball over a bit, as always. The starters are a 3-guard lineup, though Reginald Delk has good height for a wing. Tony Delk’s nephew doesn’t turn the ball over at all. He is also shooting lights-out in his time so far. Jerry Smith is a steady senior who makes defensive plays even though his 3-point shooting has been errant. Preston Knowles has an ability to make plays no matter how he’s shooting; he is impressive in his ability to stay in the game mentally. Peyton Siva is an impressive freshman who doesn’t get a lot of time (and sometimes has freshman mistakes at the lead guard position).

St. John’s (10-4, 0-2)

3 PG Malik Boothe JR 5’9 188: 5.3 ppg* 2.5 rpg* 2.2 apg* 1.1 spg

23 G Paris Horne JR 6’3 191: 8.6 ppg* 3.1 rpg* 1.5 apg* 1 spg* 38.2% 3PT

1 G-F DJ Kennedy JR 6’5 215: 16.0 ppg* 6.6 rpg* 3.7 apg* 37% 3PT

24 F Justin Burrell JR 6’8 235: 5.3 ppg* 3.1 rpg* 56.8% FG

5 F Sean Evans JR 6’8 255: 7.2 ppg* 6.7 rpg

Bench:

12 G Dwight Hardy JR 6′2 187: 23.3 mpg* 11.4 ppg* 40.8% 3PT

32 F Justin Brownlee JR 6′7 232: 22.6 mpg* 8.5 ppg* 6.0 rpg* 1 spg* 1.1 bpg

15 F-C Dele Coker JR 6’10 252: 11.4 mpg* 2.4 ppg* 2.5 rpg* 1.6 bpg* 70% FG

2 G-F Anthony Mason Jr. SR 6’7 210: (has not played)

Without Malik Boothe at point guard, the team was burned by turnovers and poor shooting; the team couldn’t handle the full court press. That doesn’t bode well for them; Louisville is known for various presses, zones and man. Without a better plan against zones (and St. John’s has always had trouble with pressure from high level teams with this roster), the team could find themselves down a lot early.

As well, the team needs to find a way to free up Dwight Hardy for shots in crunch time. He was handling the ball more than he needed to, and was not aggressive with his shot. As a team, the Red Storm has to play team ball, keep the Cardinal defense moving, and use the post a little bit. Burrell and Evans took 7 shots; that’s ignoring the post.

Keys to the Game

Handle the Press. First and foremost, St. John’s has to handle the defensive pressure Louisville will be eager to bring. The ballhandling has to be tight, and they have to pass their way out of traps. Offensive awareness and teamwork are key. If St. John’s has a great day NOT turning over the ball, and getting quick shots that they make, there is a strong chance they will surprise the Cards on the road.

Work The Glass. Louisville is an impressive rebounding team… and St. John’s isn’t bad themselves when they put their minds and bodies to it. The game has to involve a lot of physical rough play to jockey for position and win the rebounds. Second chance points will draw fouls and easy shots in the half court sets.

The Meat Grinder. Slow the game down. Make it physical. In a fast-paced game, St. John’s is likely to come out the loser; while the Red Storm has shooters, they sometimes go cold, while Louisville has a full roster of inside and out scoring.

Make The Understudies Make Plays. Stopping the stars isn’t enough; Pitino’s team can win with contributions from their bench and role players. But If those role players have to become the stars? Some of the youth on the Cardinals has been inconsistent. If St. John’s can minimize Samardo Samuels’ effect inside, and frustrate Edgar Sosa, that leaves the game up to some players who may not be ready to take the game over. Jerry Smith and Preston Knowles are experienced, talented players; but the backup forwards are learning their way in the game.

Get Hot In the Winter. St. John’s will also need either a hot shooting not overall, or a great stretch of scoring to hang with the Cardinals. They’ll get some run outs – and need to make those shots count. But I think this game will require a run of difficult/ defended shots, good offensive movement, and determined play.

Prediction: A tough road game for the Storm. Louisville wins, 75-62.

Transplanted New Yorker and now Midwesterner Peter a/k/a Pico writes for the East Coast Bias and the Church of Bracketology and for Johnny Jungle, doing the Calm Before the Storm posts. Pico is also on Twitter, @ECoastBias.