Marquette

St. John’s Looks to Down Marquette Golden Eagles in Final Regular Season Game

March 8, 2013 by Anthony Ramos Leave a Comment

When it has rained it has poured for the St. John’s Red Storm. After leading at halftime on Tuesday night in South Bend against the Irish the Johnnies fell apart in the second half and lost by 26 points, their most embarrassing of the season. Before the final buzzer Sir’Dominic Pointer and Cameron Biedschied of the Irish got into an altercation and punches were thrown. Both players were suspended for one game.

So the Red Storm will face the #15 ranked Golden Eagles on the final day of the regular season without leading scorer D’Angelo Harrison and without the stat sheet stuffer Pointer. The Eagles are coming off a come from behind win at Rutgers and are having a very special season even without former stars Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae

Crowder who were both picked in the 2012 NBA Draft.

Last season the Johnnies were downed by the Eagles, 83-64 on the road.

Game Information
Date: Saturday, March 9th, 2013
Location: Madison Square Garden- New York, NY
Time: 2:00 PM EST
TV: ESPN
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Brandon Tierney)

Marquette Golden Eagles (22-7, 10-4)
Head Coach: Buzz Williams

Marquette and coach Buzz Williams are lead this season by junior guard Vander Blue. Blue is averaging 14.3 points per game and 3.3 rebounds on 46% shooting from the field this year. Blue has started every game this year for the Eagles and lead the comeback against Rutgers and helped hunt for the #1 seed in the Big East Tournament. Blue had 22 points on 8-16 shooting.

Off the bench for the Eagles might be the Big East Sixth Man of the Year. 6’8 junior forward Davante Gardner is averaging 11.6 points per game off the bench and leads the team averaging 4.7 rebounds. Gardner was ineffective against Rutgers scoring only four points and three rebounds in 18 minutes.

Projected Starting Lineup:
F Juan Anderson
C Chris Otule
G Junior Cadougan
G Vander Blue
G Trent Lockett

St. John’s (16-13, 8-9)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin

It will be a challenge but a challenge that the Red Storm will have to face. Down two of their best players the Johnnies will try and upset the Golden Eagles of Marquette and go into the Big East Tournament looking for a miracle. From on the bubble two weeks ago to sweating out a possible NIT berth the Johnnies will have to be lead by their seasoned sophomores.

Phil Greene, Jamal Branch and Amir Garrett will have to step up in the absence of Pointer and Harrison and make it hard for the Eagles. Branch who has not looked 100% since he came back from a MCL sprain will be important. Against the Irish Branch shot 1-7 from the field while dishing out two assists.

Greene was not much better has he shot 5-14 from the field scoring 10 points an missing all three field goals from deep. Felix Balamou looks to keep getting extended minutes while Marco Bourgault is seeing his time on the court as well as his magic touch from three fading.

Projected Starting Lineup:
F JaKarr Sampson
F Amir Garrett
F Chris Obekpa
G Phil Greene
G Jamal Branch

Keys to Victory

• Sampson Take Over- JaKarr Sampson has become the number one option for this team and while only making five of 15 shots against the Irish he still lead all Johnnies with 12 points and five rebounds. The Johnnies will need a monster game from the freshman to have a chance.

• Backups time to shine- Amir Garrett and Felix Balamou look to be the two players who will see their minutes increase against Marquette. Garrett has had an okay season and Balamou has seen his minutes and production go up and down. Solid production from these two and the Johnnies will have a chance.

• Planting Gardner– Vander Blue is relentless and a great scorer but the Johnnies will have an edge in the front court. They can not allow Gardner to go off and if they can minimize his importance like Rutgers did that can be huge.

• Frustration- Against the Irish you could see the Johnnies start to lose their cool. This will be a good test heading into the postseason to see if they can keep frustration from mounting. Nothing has really gone their way since the calendar has turned to March and it will be important for them to be calm, cool and collected.
Final Prediction: Marquette Wins, 68-55

St. John’s Continues Midwest Swing Against Marquette

January 11, 2012 by Jaden Daly Leave a Comment

In the rock fight many envisioned it would be, St. John’s prevailed in their first road test of 2012 after Moe Harkless tipped in a missed D’Angelo Harrison layup at the buzzer to defeat Cincinnati. However, the Red Storm do not have much of an opportunity to savor the victory, as next on the schedule is a Marquette Golden Eagles team ranked 24th in the nation.

One year ago, St. John’s defeated Marquette on the road for their first win against the former Warriors since 1966; and JohnnyJungle.com has all the information on tomorrow night’s contest, which the Red Storm will look to turn into an encore.

Date: Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Location: Bradley Center; Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Time: 7:00 PM EST
TV: ESPNU (Adam Amin, LaPhonso Ellis)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Tim O’Toole)

St. John’s Red Storm (8-7, 2-2)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin* (2nd season at STJ; 29-19, 174-95 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., 6.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 31% FG, 73% FT, 2.3 APG, 1.1 SPG)
G D’Angelo Harrison (6-3 Fr., 16.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 38% FG, 33% 3pt, 81% FT, 2.1 APG, 1.7 SPG)
F Sir’Dominic Pointer (6-5 Fr., 6.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 46% FG, 47% FT, 1.1 APG, 1.4 SPG)
F Moe Harkless (6-8 Fr., 15.3 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 45% FG, 68% FT, 1.6 APG, 1.8 BPG, 1.5 SPG)
F God’sgift Achiuwa (6-8 Jr., 11.5 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 53% FG, 74% FT, 1.1 BPG)

Key Reserves:
G Malik Stith (5-11 Jr., 3.3 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 41% FG, 30% 3pt, 77% FT, 1.1 APG)
F Amir Garrett (6-6 Fr., 3.2 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 46% FG, 33% 3pt, 38% FT, 1.0 SPG)

Keys To Victory:
– Points in the paint. Marquette has become a different team in the absence of Chris Otule, forcing the Golden Eagles to be even more reliant upon their backcourt to pull them out of the fire in close games. Another plus for St. John’s is that aside from Jae Crowder, the Marquette front line is just as young, with sophomores Davante Gardner and Jamil Wilson receiving most of the playing time. If St. John’s can move the ball, the Red Storm defense will force a gifted Marquette offense to ramp up their efforts just a little more.

– Cincinnati, Part II. Marquette has struggled in games where their opposition has chosen to grind it out rather than get into a track meet with the Golden Eagles. Even though Buzz Williams’ bunch defeated Norfolk State in the Paradise Jam championship and picked up a huge road win against Wisconsin in similar conditions, Marquette had problems in games against LSU and Vanderbilt that many feel the Golden Eagles should have won. The real key here would be to rein in D’Angelo Harrison. In the first fifteen games, Harrison has demonstrated a willingness to take the open shot. In this matchup, however, the Texan may have to have more of a veteran instinct with the ball in his hands. If Harrison and Phil Greene can maximize the shot clock the way Jordan Taylor attempted to in the Wisconsin game, it will be a long night for Marquette.

– Get to the line. The best and easiest way to expose Marquette’s frontcourt would be to draw fouls. Davante Gardner and Jamil Wilson have already been forced into more playing time than head coach Buzz Williams could have envisioned now that Chris Otule is injured; and aside from Jamail Jones, there isn’t much more depth up front. Look for St. John’s to play more physical than they have in games past to establish the advantage in the paint.

Now, for a little background information on the Red Storm’s opponents…

No. 24 Marquette Golden Eagles (12-4, 1-2)
Head Coach: Buzz Williams (4th season at MU; 81-41, 97-58 overall)

Projected Starting Lineup:
G Junior Cadougan (6-1 Jr., 6.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 42% FG, 69% FT, 5.0 APG, 1.1 SPG)
G Darius Johnson-Odom (6-2 Sr., 18.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 44% FG, 37% 3pt, 76% FT, 2.7 APG, 1.1 SPG)
G Vander Blue (6-4 So., 8.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 42% FG, 62% FT, 3.6 APG, 1.6 SPG)
F Jae Crowder (6-6 Sr., 16.5 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 50% FG, 38% 3pt, 71% FT, 1.9 APG, 1.9 SPG)
F Davante Gardner (6-8 So., 8.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 59% FG, 77% FT, 1.2 SPG)

Key Reserves:
G Todd Mayo (6-3 Fr., 9.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 42% FG, 34% 3pt, 78% FT, 1.3 APG)
F Jamil Wilson (6-7 So., 4.9 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 43% FG, 30% 3pt, 73% FT)

Keys To Victory:
– Smart shot selection. Prior to their December 3rd matchup with Wisconsin, Marquette came in shooting 53 percent from the field as a team. Ten games later, (three of which being Big East contests) that number has gone down to 46 percent. Against a St. John’s team that is not afraid to chuck the ball up halfway through the shot clock, Marquette can take advantage of missed shots whenever they get them. With two starters (Jae Crowder and Davante Gardner) shooting 50 percent or better from the field, the Golden Eagles will look to get the ball inside for high percentage shots against the Red Storm’s press defense and matchup zone.

– So much talent, so little space. You can’t spell “multifaceted” without “MU,” and Marquette usually has one of the best players in the Big East on the court at each position at any time during the game. In addition to All-Big East selection Darius Johnson-Odom, point guard Junior Cadougan is really a special player despite having virtually all of his freshman year wiped out due to injuries and a lack of playing time. Moreover, Todd Mayo has become indispensable alongside Johnson-Odom as a replacement for Vander Blue; and despite their offensive inconsistency, Gardner and Jamil Wilson provide some of the best defense in the conference. Marquette has never had the Top 100 recruits that Steve Lavin brought to St. John’s, but true talent finds its own recognition as opposed to having it bestowed upon them at an early age.

– Ball control. Marquette has a plus-4 turnover margin on the season, forcing seventeen miscues on average this season while committing thirteen of their own per game. St. John’s does not turn the ball over much either, but inexperience and youth on the road could be a recipe for disaster if the game gets out of hand earlier than expected. Buzz Williams’ team is not as defensively gifted as the Red Storm, but has found a way to make plays and stops on that side of the ball in equal parts. The right combination of missed shots and aggressiveness in the backcourt could open the door to a home win that will get the Golden Eagles back to .500 in Big East play on Al McGuire Night, where the program will pay tribute to the coach that brought Marquette its only national championship in 1977.

So, Who Wins?
St. John’s won both halves of this road trip a year ago; first defeating Cincinnati in a game that was decided by two points much like the one this past Saturday before taking the trip to Milwaukee two nights later and coming alive in the second half to defeat Marquette for the first time since head coach Steve Lavin was just 17 months old in February of 1966, six years before Buzz Williams was even born. Marquette has dropped four of their last six since starting 10-0, and the Golden Eagles have yet to face a team the likes of St. John’s. Expect a matchup similar to the one that took place in February of 2010 at Carnesecca Arena, one that will ultimately be decided by the last possession. Marquette no longer has a Jimmy Butler to drain a baseline jumper at the buzzer in overtime; but the Golden Eagles have the talent to get it done in the final seconds, particularly Darius Johnson-Odom, who is this writer’s pick to hit the game-winning shot.

Final Score: Marquette 68, St. John’s 65

Punching the Golden Ticket

February 16, 2011 by Jaden Daly Leave a Comment

Steve Lavin was just 17 months old the last time St. John’s defeated Marquette, while Golden Eagles coach Buzz Williams wasn’t even born yet. In a matchup where one school owned a winning streak against the other going back to the Lyndon Johnson administration, one school took a major step toward returning to the limelight, while the other saw their hopes take a significant hit.

Playing on the road for the second time in three nights following their upset of then-No. 9 Connecticut, the Johnnies (16-9, 8-5 in the Big East) snapped a 45-year schneid with an 80-68 victory over Marquette; (15-11, 6-7) the first over the Golden Eagles since February 26, 1966. Four players had double-figure scoring efforts for the Red Storm last night, led by Dwight Hardy’s game-high 28. The Storm are now 8-0 this season when at least four players tally ten or more points. D.J. Kennedy added 15, with Justin Brownlee’s 11 and Justin Burrell’s 10-point, 12-rebound effort accounting for the other bright spots in a game designated as a must-win for St. John’s in order to preserve its chances of returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002.

Jimmy Butler led the Golden Eagles with 23 while newcomer Jae Crowder fell one rebound short of a double-double, posting 15 points and nine rebounds. For Marquette, the loss drops them under .500 in the Big East following their road defeat Sunday afternoon at the hands of a Georgetown team that has now won eight straight conference games after dropping four of their first five. The Golden Eagles will now welcome Seton Hall into the Bradley Center for their next game Saturday night, while St. John’s returns home to face fourth-ranked Pittsburgh in a noon matinee at Madison Square Garden, where the Storm have won six of seven this season; the last four of which coming against Top 25 teams (Three of those four were in the Top 10).

Interested in the factors behind the win, or maybe some perspective on the season for the Johnnies up to this point? That’s what tonight’s lasting impressions are for.

Lasting Impressions
– It could be argued that this past Sunday started a new season for St. John’s after their upset win over UConn; and just as they did in their first two Big East contests, the Johnnies opened with back-to-back road wins.
– Justin Brownlee’s highlight reel dunk provided the turning point of the game in the second half, pulling St. John’s within five (45-40) before going on a 40-23 run for the duration of the game.
– The Red Storm defense and Malik Boothe pick up game balls for their efforts last night, with a plus-10 turnover margin (forcing 18 while only committing eight) and the little man facilitating action that the box score won’t indicate.
– Darius Johnson-Odom has made the motor run for Marquette all season, and the Golden Eagles could have used him tonight. Although the junior, described by coach Buzz Williams as a “hoops savant,” had 14 points, he was largely hindered by four fouls that kept him from showcasing his first-team all-Big East potential.
– Finally, this game hurt Marquette just as much as it helped St. John’s. The Golden Eagles do not have an easy stretch run, and will likely need to pick up a win or two in the Big East tournament just to get back on the bubble; while the Johnnies are seemingly in barring a meltdown. Three wins in their last five (it’s not impossible) would place the Storm at 19-11 and 11-7 in the Big East.

The Perfect Storm Rages On

November 5, 2010 by Jaden Daly Leave a Comment

St. John’s finally takes the court for the first time in the 2010-11 season thirteen days from now when they tip off against St. Mary’s to officially commence the Steve Lavin era. However, as only its New York City locale can do, the hoopla surrounding the Johnnies and the first seven months of the Lavin administration continues to reach crescendos that had been unknown by the program since its 1999 Elite Eight appearance. The most honorable aspect of this additional media attention, you might ask? Lavin and his young charges have refused to let the publicity go to their heads for the most part, and their 46-year-old head man credits the pragmatic approach employed by world-renowned UCLA coach John Wooden and newly minted special assistant Gene Keady as the primary reason why he and his team has remained so humble.

jadendalystevelavin — Jaden Daly gets quotes from Coach Steve Lavin at Big East Media Day. (JohnnyJungle.com)

“We’re pleased with the progress we’ve made,” gushed Lavin during our interview two weeks ago at Big East media day inside Madison Square Garden, an event where Lavin was the center of attention for over two hours. Lavin and his staff have approached their maiden voyage at the helm of the Johnnies as one where they are taking the baton from predecessor Norm Roberts and continuing along on their climb to the top of the Big East, a journey Lavin talks about in a spiritual context.

Game number one, which comes against a St. Mary’s team that reached the Sweet 16 a year ago and returns four of their five starters from last season (only center Omar Samhan has left) will go a long way in determining just how far the Johnnies have come this offseason. “I thought it was vital that we play a tough road game before we step into the Big East,” Lavin remarked, adding that leading a team relatively untested into conference play, “would be considered a mistake in our preparation.” St. John’s also matches up with reigning national champion Duke at the Garden, and heads to Pauley Pavilion on February 5th for the much-anticipated Lavin homecoming at Westwood against UCLA, but Lavin and his players are still preparing for their exhibition game Saturday night against Westmont College, whose head coach John Moore is Lavin’s brother-in-law, married to Steve’s sister, Rachel.

When I asked Lavin about the daunting task the schedule appears to be on the surface, he was brutally honest with me, and indirectly admitted that although he takes it one game at a time, the Red Storm’s ledger this season might be a little ambitious for a younger team. “This will be the most difficult schedule that I’ve ever prepared a team for in my career,” said Lavin. “I wouldn’t want to play this schedule next year when we have eight freshmen and ten new players coming into the fold.” Having ten seniors is no typical cup of coffee in college basketball, and Lavin has already been encouraged by what he has seen in practice from his fourth-year players, who are, according to their coach, “so galvanized in their pursuit of trying to finish on a high note.”

St_Johns_v_Pittsburgh4 — Dwight Hardy is expected to play a lot of PG this upcoming season. Can he be an effective scorer with the ball in his hands? (Icon SMI)

While Lavin is still undecided about who will ultimately be part of his starting five, he was quick to rattle off the names of players who have really impressed him thus far. Not surprisingly, team leader D.J. Kennedy was the first name dropped by the coach. Although the size and skill of Kennedy has elicited praise from Lavin, the coach and his staff would like to amplify his contributions at the defensive end of the floor. Lavin also compared sharpshooter Dwight Hardy to Jason Kapono who Lavin coached at UCLA and eventually sent to the NBA. Lavin described Kapono, the former NBA 3 point champion, as having Reggie Miller like range. Lavin admitted that Dwight might not have the same range as Kapono but he is just as good of a shooter who is much more versatile of a scorer with his play off the bounce.

To use one of Lavin’s favorite words, the coach remained pragmatic when addressing the fact that most, if not all of his team, needs to have a career year to make the Johnnies’ dream of climbing the ladder into a reality. While Lavin insisted more than one player needs to be at his personal best all season, he singled out Justin Brownlee as a player capable of having a breakout season. Lavin’s testimonial didn’t stop there, as he lauded the former junior college standout as being one of the more gifted players on the squad; adding that Brownlee and promising freshman Dwayne Polee as being able to play four positions on the hardwood.

Not only does Lavin need his players to have career years, he needs the revitalized St. John’s fan base to step its game up as well. “Any program that starts to make a move up the ladder to become more competitive needs the energy and support of their fan base,” said Lavin at St. John’s media day this past Tuesday. “It puts the wind at your back and it makes young people feel appreciated. That’s important when you’re 18-22 years old. So we want our fan base energized. We talk about needing all hands on deck and that includes all the constituencies of the St. John’s fan base.”

At Big East media day, Marquette coach Buzz Williams appropriately described Lavin’s arrival in Queens as a “perfect storm.” Only two weeks following that quote, the storm is as intense as ever; and appears to be gathering steam with each passing day.

ATTENTION RED STORM FANS: Vote for Dave Krupinski on Volvo’s Big East Contest help make him and St. John’s #1

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.