In their last appearance on the court, St. John’s controlled the game from start to finish and defeated St. Francis, 63-48.
Fresh off a brief recess for the Thanksgiving holiday, the Red Storm return to their on-campus home at Carnesecca Arena to take on their second Colonial Athletic Association opponent this season. Below, JohnnyJungle.com gets you ready for a Saturday matinee between the Red Storm and the Northeastern Huskies, who make the trip down Interstate 95 from Boston.
Date: Saturday, November 26, 2011
Location: Carnesecca Arena; Jamaica, New York
Time: 4:00 PM EST
TV: ESPN3 (espn3.com) (Mike Crispino, Dereck Whittenburg)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Tim O’Toole)
Online: WSJURadio.org (Mike Rossillo, Kieran Lynch)
St. John’s Red Storm (4-2)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin (2nd season, 25-14; 170-92 overall)
Projected Starting Lineup:
G Nurideen Lindsey (6-3 So., 14.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 52% FG, 55% FT, 3.8 APG, 2.3 SPG)
G Phil Greene (6-2 Fr., 5.5 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 43% FG, 38% 3pt, 60% FT, 1.3 APG, 1.2 SPG)
G D’Angelo Harrison (6-3 Fr., 15.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 43% FG, 41% 3pt, 78% FT, 1.5 APG, 1.8 SPG)
F God’sgift Achiuwa (6-8 Jr., 10.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 56% FG, 77% FT)
F Moe Harkless (6-8 Fr., 15.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 46% FG, 57% FT, 1.3 APG, 1.7 BPG, 2.0 SPG)
Key Reserves:
F Sir’Dominic Pointer (6-5 Fr., 5.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 58% FG, 60% 3pt, 41% FT, 1.0 APG)
G Malik Stith (5-11 Jr., 4.8 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 52% FG, 67% 3pt, 71% FT, 1.2 APG)
Keys To Victory:
– Set the tone early. This worked for the Red Storm against St. Francis and, considering Northeastern uses no more than eight men themselves, St. John’s does not have to worry about conditioning as much as they have in recent games, because their opponent is just as thin on the roster as they are. St. John’s is the superior talent on paper and if the Red Storm can dictate the early tempo and take initiative on both sides of the ball, a rerun of the St. Francis game could be on the menu.
– Find the hot hand. Lately, that player has been D’Angelo Harrison, who erupted for a career-high 21 points off the bench against St. Francis. Moe Harkless also broke out of a mini-slump with 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting Tuesday night in the win against the Terriers. Considering Northeastern is not afraid to spread the love with four players averaging more than ten points per game, the pressure will be on the Red Storm to not only find someone to run their offense, but also look for a viable second option over the course of the evening.
– You’re a bad man! When Sir’Dominic Pointer is able to make his presence known on both ends of the floor, the freshman from Detroit brings a higher level of intensity and energy to the court than any other player on Steve Lavin’s roster. Northeastern comes in averaging 39 rebounds and eight steals through their first three games, but also has an average of nearly 19 turnovers in each contest. There is no stat for forced turnovers, but Pointer would lead that category if such a stat existed. Look for him early and often off the bench as Northeastern will have a hard time adjusting to the press defense that has allowed St. John’s to dominate their mid-major competition this season.
And, their opponents from Beantown…
Northeastern Huskies (2-1)
Head Coach: Bill Coen (6th season, 79-83)
Projected Starting Lineup:
G Jonathan Lee (6-2 Jr., 16.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 45% FG, 33% 3pt, 71% FT, 4.3 APG, 3.3 SPG)
G Joel Smith (6-4 Jr., 13.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 33% FG, 100% FT, 3.0 APG)
G Alwayne Bigby (6-5 So., 4.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 43% FG, 1.0 SPG)
F Kashief Edwards (6-5 Sr., 7.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 47% FG, 89% FT)
F Kauri Black (6-7 Jr., 10.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 60% FG, 53% FT, 1.3 BPG, 1.7 SPG)
Key Reserves:
F Reggie Spencer (6-7 Fr., 10.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 68% FG, 75% FT, 2.0 BPG)
F Quincy Ford (6-8 Fr., 5.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 27% FG, 75% FT, 1.0 APG, 1.0 BPG)
Keys To Victory:
– Get to the line. Northeastern has the advantage at the charity stripe, shooting a collective 77 percent as a team, while St. John’s has only managed a 63 percent clip at the line in twice as many games. Junior forward Kauri Black may be the biggest piece of the puzzle for the Huskies, as he will need to get Moe Harkless and God’sgift Achiuwa to use their physicality to the point where Northeastern can draw fouls and steal the game on foul shots.
-General Lee. Junior point guard Jonathan Lee is the man who makes the motor run for Bill Coen’s squad, averaging over four assists and three steals per game to go with his team-leading 17 points per game. Lee is also the team’s best three-point shooter through the first three games, making four of the twelve trifectas he has attempted. St. John’s has already been burned several times by go-to guys (Quinn McDowell, C.J. McCollum, etc.) this season, so you can expect to hear Lee’s name called several times in the opening minutes as Northeastern will look to do what Lehigh did against the Red Storm in the second game of St. John’s campaign.
Double jeopardy. After defeating William & Mary in the season opener, Northeastern serves as the second CAA opponent that St. John’s will face this year. Northeastern is in a similar situation to the Tribe in that they were picked to finish in the middle of the CAA, and have one player (Jonathan Lee) who stands out above the rest of the roster. Northeastern also has several other supporting pieces that their conference brethren did not, and could use that against a seven-man St. John’s rotation effectively.
So, Who Wins?
Northeastern comes to Queens on a seven-day layoff since their last game, a win at home against Southern Illinois, while St. John’s has only had a four-day hiatus since their Tuesday night victory over St. Francis. The key to this game will be the supporting casts since each team has a short rotation. Northeastern is a team on the rise, but still at least a year away from competing with high-major programs like St. John’s. With John Calipari and Kentucky up next, the Red Storm get a much-needed second straight win on the way to Lexington.
Final Score: St. John’s 80, Northeastern 67