St. John’s Basketball

Johnny Late Bird

March 28, 2010 by Dave Krupinski Leave a Comment

Johnny Thunderbird has been the subject of ridicule since his inception as St. John’s new mascot decided by the fans. However he’s really made a boom since the start of the school year. He’s been seen anywhere and everywhere possible trying to get into the good graces of the St. John’s faithful. He’s been at picnics, barbecues, any and every social event on St. John’s campus has to offer and now he’s taking over 30 Rockefeller Center. Yes NBC studios!

Word got out of a mascot event taking place in the studio of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and St. John’s jumped all over it. Johnny Thunderbird appeared in a short clip that had him cleaning toilets. Ok so it’s a little weird and slightly degrading but definitely a good days work. Any publicity is good publicity.

The sad part is Jimmy Fallon only had two viewers, his mom and myself. Ok, I lied only 1 viewer I was watching Kansas St vs Xavier.

The episode aired Thursday, March 25, 2010. At about the 18:30 mark the segment begins. Johnny Thunderbird co-starred with the Seton Hall, Siena, and Hofstra’s mascots. Kudos St. John’s. Job well done. You can view the video below.

Second Round Means Revenge

March 9, 2010 by Pico Dulce Leave a Comment

Ambiance: Jay-Z, On to the Next One

Malik Boothe after the win vs. U Conn:

“I don’t know if [the win over Connecticut] removes the frustration. I know it was a good win today. We also can’t celebrate on this win. Last year we were in the same position going against the same team in the next round, and they pretty much had their way with us. We have to have the same focus tomorrow.”

Surprise, surprise. St. John’s didn’t squeeze out a win. The Johnnies eviscerated the poor-shooting, weak-willed Huskies in a performance that made the viewers do a double-take, made the Husky faithful begin to think long and hard about their coach and team, and made a subset of the Red Storm fans giddy. Personally, however I feel about the direction of the team… I love to see a Jim Calhoun team taken out to the back of the woodshed for a thorough whaling.

evans BET — Courtesy of RedStormSports.com

The Red Storm uncharacteristically jumped out to a nice cushion early… and took advantage of atrocious shooting (31% in the first half) and 8 turnovers to build a 53-22 cushion… and then repeated the feat in the second half, holding the desperate Huskies to 29 and scoring 38. It was a strange game for longtime St. John’s fans – the team was aggressive, active, and looked to dunk on the Huskies.

I bring all that up because the box score looks like it was brought from the other side of the looking glass. Contributions up and down the roster, aggressive and smart play, patience when necessary, smart passing… the fans hope they see a repeat of that performance in the next game, a 2:00 PM matchup against the Marquette Golden Eagles. It was spectacular, and the team should come out fired up, considering how badly the Eagles beat the Johnnies last year. You might remember Chris Mullin in the stands, or the complete lack of execution, as Buzz Williams had the team well figured out.

Will tomorrow repeat the failures of the past? Or will the Red Storm get revenge? The OT loss against the Golden Eagles was very close, and if the team was playing with the kind of pep in their step that they had against Connecticut, they just might have dunked that breakaway that would have been the difference in the regular period.

Game Information

Tip Off: 2:00 PM, Wednesday, March 10
Location: Madison Square Garden
TV: ESPN
Radio: WSJU Radio, Redstormsports.com, XM Radio LIVE | Bloomberg 1130AM Delayed 7:00 PM

Team Reviews

Marquette (20-10, 11-7)

2 PG Maurice Acker SR 5′8 165: 8.4 ppg* 3.7 apg* 1.3 spg* 46.7% 3PT

10 G David Cubillan SR 6′0 175: 6.2 ppg* 2.8 apg* 37.3% 3PT

1 G Darius Johnson-Odom SO 6′2 200: 12.9 ppg* 2.3 rpg* 2.7 apg* 47.5% 3PT

33 F Jimmy Butler JR 6′6 215: 15.2 ppg* 6.5 rpg* 2.1 apg* 1.3 spg

32 F Lazar Hayward JR 6′6 225: 18.0 ppg* 7.8 rpg* 32.9% 3PT

Bench

23 G Dwight Buycks JR 6′3 190: 24.9 mpg* 6.9 ppg* 3.3 rpg* 2.4 apg

21 F Joseph Fulce JR 6′7 205: 11.8 mpg* 3.8 ppg* 3.2 rpg* 50% FG

The Eagles have had a few days off. That has to be good for them, since they play in so many close games. Besides a blowout of Louisville, the Golden Eagles’ last 4 games have been decided by 3 points or less – including the overtime match against St. John’s at Carnesecca (the ending of which you can watch over again, like I have a few times).

The Golden Eagles are well-coached, effective, shoot a lot of 3’s but don’t rebound very well – they are (relatively) short.

St. John’s (17-14, 7-12)

3 PG Malik Boothe JR 5’9 188: 4.8 ppg* 2.8 apg

23 G Paris Horne JR 6’3 191: 9.2 ppg* 3.1 rpg* 38.5% 3PT

1 G-F DJ Kennedy JR 6’5 215: 15.1 ppg* 6.1 rpg* 3 apg* 37.2% 3PT* 1.2 spg

G-F Anthony Mason Jr. SR 6’7 210: 6.6 ppg* 5.3 rpg* 1.8 apg

5 F Sean Evans JR 6’8 255: 6.8 ppg* 5.8 rpg

Bench:

12 G Dwight Hardy JR 6′2 187: 22.3 mpg* 10.5 ppg* 38.3% 3PT

24 F Justin Burrell JR 6’8 235: 20.3 mpg* 6.9 ppg* 4.6 rpg* 46.4% FG

32 F Justin Brownlee JR 6′7 232: 18.7 mpg* 6.6 ppg* 4.6 rpg

31 PG Malik Stith FR 5’11 185: 11.2 mpg* 1.7 ppg* 1.2 apg

15 F-C Dele Coker JR 6’10 252: 9.1 mpg* 1.7 ppg* 1.7 rpg* .9 bpg

11 G-F Omari Lawrence FR 6’4 210: 9.7 mpg* 2.6 ppg*1.5 rpg

Continuing on how it was a strange game for longtime St. John’s fans – the team was aggressive, active, and looked to dunk on the Huskies. Malik Boothe was aggressive on defense and a baller of a point guard on offense, with 8 points on 4 of 4 shooting, 9 assists, 4 steals, and 2 turnovers. Omari Lawrence got 14 minutes of burn and should have had a few free throw attempts along with his 4 points. And DJ Kennedy was saddled with foul trouble, only playing 25 minutes. Sean Evans looked good with his dribble and made hustle plays to the tune of 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Justin Brownlee scored 13 (on 13 shots) and was credited with 4 blocks. Burrell chipped in 4 points, Mason hit a three and played good defense, and Paris Horne had a crisp 13 points.

Does that mean the team has found its stride without Dwight Hardy? Or was that game a nice fluke against a team that didn’t know how to battle back against the Red Storm, like Louisville a few weeks ago and like South Florida in mid February?

Keys to the Game

Harass and Defend. The Red Storm have to make everything hard on the Golden Eagles, both to take the team out of its rhythm and to make their legs work – tire them out!

Turnovers. Marquette will convert the turnovers to fast points. In the last game, the team had inopportune turnovers that led to Marquette opportunities. If the Red Storm can match them shot-for-shot, the turnovers that St. John’s commits – and Marquette doesn’t – will be the margin in the game.

Focus, Grit, and Pep. The Red Storm’s game against U Conn brought the question up (to me), why hasn’t played like this in all their games? That kind of play is something St. John’s has been inconsistent at. But if they make a run in the Big East Tourney, they have to be focused and energetic for 40 minutes.

Attack for Rebounds. Marquette’s forwards are undersized hustlers. St. John’s needs to try and own the glass to keep Marquette from second chance station.

Free Throws. The Golden Eagles have many tools in their arsenal. One of them is a great ability to get fouled and shoot some free throws. The Red Storm has to defend without fouling.

Prediction: 64-62, Marquette.

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.

Tournament Time

March 8, 2010 by Pico Dulce Leave a Comment

Time for the Big East tournament, the last chance for St. John’s to get in the NCAAs. More on the teams below. And, can they extend the season with a win against Connecticut, a team they haven’t beaten since 2002?

Game Information

Tip Off: 2:00 PM, Tuesday, March 9
Location: Madison Square Garden
TV: ESPN
Radio: Bloomberg 1130/ WSJU

Team Reviews

Connecticut (17-14, 7-11)

15 PG Kemba Walker SO 6′1 172: 14.9 ppg* 5.1 apg* 4.2 rpg* 2.1 spg* 6 FT att/g

11 G Jerome Dyson SR 6′3 190: 17.7 ppg* 4.4 apg* 4.5 rpg* 1.4 spg* 6.6 FT Att/ g

21 F Stanley Robinson SR 6′9 220: 14.9 ppg* 7.6 rpg* 1.2 bpg

33 F Gavin Edwards SR 6′10 230: 10.7 ppg* 6.5 rpg* 2.1 bpg

5 F Ater Majok FR 6′11 233: 15.1 mpg* 2.4 ppg* 3.1 rpg* 1.6 bpg

Bench

34 F-C Alex Oriakhi FR 6′9 240: 5.0 ppg* 6.8 rpg* 1.7 bpg

4 G-F Jamal Coombs-McDaniel FR 6′7 210: 10.9 mpg* 3.1 ppg* 1.1 rpg

2 G Donnell Beverly JR 6′4 190: 10.1 mpg* 1.6 ppg* 1.3 apg

36 C Charles Okwandu JR 7′0 255: 6.7 mpg* 1.1 ppg* 1.7 rpg

24 G Darius Smith FR 6’1 168: 4.5 mpg* 1.1 ppg

The Huskies’ road game against South Florida was one final chance for the flawed Connecticut Huskies to get a decent win in the Big East and hopefully have a fighting chance to get into the NCAA tournament. Instead, the Bulls took a slight halftime lead and started scoring inside the arc, prompting Coach Jim Calhoun to bench his starters/ seniors for a lack of effort. The bench, as you see above, is likely to start the Big East Tournament game. But expect to see the starters come out with a little bit of fire when they come onto the court.

To see extended previews of the Huskies, read the pregame Johnny Jungle post from January. The team is not wildly different. They’re bad shooters from the three, and a poor scoring attack overall. They defend very well and use their height. The Huskies are a bit more turnover-prone than they were before, and that’s been a problem all year not just for the slashing ballhandlers, Dyson and Walker, but for players whose job is to simply finish in Stanley Robinson and Gavin Edwards.

Edwards has been good at scoring, offensive rebounding, and drawing fouls, but his defense has been so-so. Which is better than Stanley Robinson, who has returned to the role he has had for much of his U Conn career – being a future NBA player on the floor who forgets to impose his will on the game.

The bench, one assumes, has some talent and will defend like guys without advance billing; but they have gotten little burn in high-leverage situations. How will they react?

St. John’s (16-14, 6-12)

3 PG Malik Boothe JR 5’9 188: 4.7 ppg* 2.6 apg

23 G Paris Horne JR 6’3 191: 9 ppg* 3 rpg* 37.4% 3PT

1 G-F DJ Kennedy JR 6’5 215: 15.3 ppg* 6.2 rpg* 3 apg* 36.7% 3PT* 1.2 spg

G-F Anthony Mason Jr. SR 6’7 210: 6.9 ppg* 5.4 rpg* 1.9 apg

5 F Sean Evans JR 6’8 255: 6.3 ppg* 5.7 rpg

Bench:

12 G Dwight Hardy JR 6′2 187: 22.3 mpg* 10.5 ppg* 38.3% 3PT

24 F Justin Burrell JR 6’8 235: 20.5 mpg* 7.0 ppg* 4.6 rpg* 46.4% FG

32 F Justin Brownlee JR 6′7 232: 18.4 mpg* 6.4 ppg* 4.6 rpg

31 PG Malik Stith FR 5’11 185: 11.4 mpg* 1.7 ppg* 1.2 apg

15 F-C Dele Coker JR 6’10 252: 9.1 mpg* 1.7 ppg* 1.7 rpg* .9 bpg* 64.7% FG

The Red Storm are at a bit of a crossroads. The season has not gone as well as expected, but the team has scrapped out good wins. But the stress of an uncertain future and the weight of losses seems to have affected the concentration of some players at times. It can be seen in the sluggishness to get back, the arguing for a call, the listless defense…

But the conference tournament means everyone has another chance. Even without shooter Dwight Hardy, the team can challenge the Huskies if they run their offense and look to aggressively attack holes in U Conn. DJ Kennedy has to be the leader in this attack; with Anthony Mason Jr. eschewing his outside shot to make plays with his passing, dribble, and tenacity on the offensive boards. A great performance by Burrell would help.

Keys to the Game

Defend Everywhere. In the last game, St. John’s allowed a poor-shooting outside shooting team to bomb on them from beyond the arc. They defended in the paint, but allowed shots form the perimeter. St. John’s has to do a better job of defending inside AND outside of the line.

Turnovers. Don’t get into a footrace with the Huskies. That is a game they will win every time. Don’t turn the ball over, especially not at the top of the key on offense. The game needs to be crisp and whistle free.

Minimize Husky Size. The Red Storm has to keep the length of their opponents far enough away from the glass that they are a non-factor; second chance points will help St. John’s knock off the hated rivals.

Attack and Score. St. John’s has to be aggressive on both ends, and look to get to the basket and draw fouls against the Huskies’ thin front line.

Elevate the Scoring Game. At least one if not two Johnnies have to step their offensive games up to match the Huskies. DJ Kennedy will score a bit, but someone else has to come and replace the production the team would get out of Dwight Hardy.

Prediction: 69-58, Connecticut.

Out Like a Lion

March 4, 2010 by Pico Dulce 1 Comment

Ambiance: Ozzy Osbourne, Bark at the Moon (video link, pops up in a new window)

Justin Burrell (from the NY Daily News), after the Syracuse game:

“I understand why people say we haven’t improved,” junior forward Justin Burrell said. “I believe (we have) in my heart, but I guess the facts say (we’re) not.”

In an effort to avoid a .500 or below record – and to match last season’s Big East win total – the Red Storm need to win the regular season finale at Allstate Arena in lovely Chicago-Adjacent (also known as Rosemont), against the 1-15 DePaul Blue Demons. This matchup might be a dog – the 13th or 14th team in the league, depending on Rutgers’ result tonight, vs. the 16th. But this is a game that the Red Storm should win. Can they shake off the disappointment of the last two losses and get one more win on the road?

The Red Storm’s last outing was a pretty solid beating by the #1 team in the country by both major polls. But the Johnnies lost more than a game, they lost their second leading scorer, Dwight Hardy. Off the bench, Hardy provided decent scoring punch and the ability to pull the Red Storm out of offensive funks. Without the junior there to shoot the team back into the game, what will happen when they get down? Comments made after the Syracuse game showed a couple of players openly searching for answers, questioning themselves.

Meanwhile, DePaul has managed to make a number of games competitive by slowing the pace and playing better defense. They have managed to get leads on a number of teams at halftime, but get ground down by a lack of talent in the end. Part of the problem is giving up second shots in the games; the Blue Demons don’t have a lot of height, but they do try hard under interim coach Tracy Webster. The Red Storm played well in the first contest at Carnesecca Arena; here’s hoping they can do it again.

Game Information

Tip Off: 8:30 PM, Friday, March 5
Location: Allstate Arena
TV: SNY
Radio: Bloomberg 1130

Team Reviews

DePaul (8-21, 1-16)

11 PG Jeremiah Kelly SO 6’1 170: 5.3 ppg* 2.5 apg* 1.2 spg* 2.5 rpg

30 G Will Walker SR 6’0 190: 16.2 ppg* 2.6 apg* 1.5 spg

22 F Tony Freeland FR 6’6 216: 12.0 mpg* 3.4 ppg* 49% FG

1 G-F Mike Stovall JR 6’5 200: 6.6 ppg* 2.8 rpg* 1.1 spg

21 F-C Mac Koshwal JR 6’10 255: 16.2 ppg* 10.1 rpg* 54.2% FG* 58.2% FT

Bench

3 F Devin Hill SO 6’9 200: 18 mpg* 5.1 ppg* 2.9 rpg

0 G Michael Bizoukas JR 6’1 175: 20.3 mpg* 3.7 ppg* 2.2 rpg* 1 spg

30 C Krys Faber SO 6’11 260: 11.4 mpg* 2.4 ppg* 2.8 rpg

10 F Mario Stula JR 6’7 210: 11.6 mpg* 2.3 ppg* 34.3% 3PT

Under Tracy Webster, the Blue Demons try very hard to feed the post and Mac Koshwal. He is the only interior threat; Krys Faber is game but not very skilled, and Devin Hill tends to hang on the perimeter. Koshwal’s a little mechanical but can score; and his rebounding is excellent.

It is senior night for Will Walker, who has gamely played through some very lean years for the Blue Demons. He is the outside threat but hasn’t been able to really carry the team with the opposing defense keyed on him. But he will hit his three-pointers and play for much of the game.

I won’t front – I think some of the rest players on the roster (such as Stula) are simply not Big East players… or Division I players. They try very hard, but the squad lacks shot creators. There is a little athleticism on the team in newcomer wings Tony Freeland and Mike Stovall. Those two can attack the hoop hard. The point guards Jeremiah Kelly and Mike Bizoukas, share the ballhandling duties. Neither shoots much or gets to the line, but Kelly is a slightly peskier defender (though Bizoukas gives effort), and Mike Bizoukas gets to the hoop better. For more on the Blue Demons, let’s go to the Chicago Now blog, Chicago College Basketball:

C Krys Faber – A very raw sophomore there appears to be some potential here, but Faber commits too many fouls and doesn’t really do anything on offense. He’s a big body that’s willing to bang, but he’s not particularly effective at anything right now.

F Mac Koshwal – This is DePaul’s best player. He missed part of the season, but he’s been on a tear as of late. The 6′11″ front court player is a guy you have to account for. He uses a lot of possessions. He also rebounds very well.

F Mike Stovall – I personally think that Stovall is a shooting guard miscast as a small forward, but this is where the junior plays. He’s 6′5″ and shoots a lot. He’s not a particularly good shooter. He’s streaky. He carried DePaul to their victory over Marquette with hot shooting down the stretch.

G Michael Bizoukas – Bizoukas and Jeremiah Kelly split time at the lead guard position and neither is particularly effective. Bizoukas is a little bit better at getting to the basket. Kelly is a little bit better on the defensive end in terms of harassing ball handlers full-court.

G Will Walker – Friday will be Walker’s final home game in a DePaul uniform. He is the do everything guy for the Blue Demons. His numbers aren’t great this season because everyone knows he is shooting when he gets the basketball. Also, Walker plays a ton of minutes. He is 4th in the nation in percentage of minutes played.

Reserves: The DePaul bench is pretty thin. Devin Hill is a long forward that blocks shots, but like to hang out around the perimeter on offense. One of the point guards will come off the bench. Also, Tony Freeland is the team’s lone scholarship freshman. He commits a lot of fouls, but he has good energy off the bench.

For more on the Blue Demons (and their coaching search, check out the rest of his answers.
St. John’s (15-14, 5-12)

3 PG Malik Boothe JR 5’9 188: 4.6 ppg* 2.5 apg

23 G Paris Horne JR 6’3 191: 8.7 ppg* 2.9 rpg* 38% 3PT

1 G-F DJ Kennedy JR 6’5 215: 14.7 ppg* 6.1 rpg* 2.9 apg* 33.3% 3PT* 1.1 spg

G-F Anthony Mason Jr. SR 6’7 210: 6.4 ppg* 5.1 rpg* 1.8 apg

5 F Sean Evans JR 6’8 255: 6.5 ppg* 5.9 rpg

Bench:

12 G Dwight Hardy JR 6′2 187: 22.9 mpg* 10.8 ppg* 38.6% 3PT

24 F Justin Burrell JR 6’8 235: 19.7 mpg* 6.8 ppg* 4.3 rpg* 48.0% FG

32 F Justin Brownlee JR 6′7 232: 18.5 mpg* 6.5 ppg* 4.7 rpg

31 PG Malik Stith FR 5’11 185: 11.6 mpg* 1.7 ppg* 1.3 apg

15 F-C Dele Coker JR 6’10 252: 8.8 mpg* 1.8 ppg* 1.7 rpg* .9 bpg* 64.7% FG

The Blue Demons play a small lineup, so I expect to see Sean Evans and Anthony Mason back in the lineup. But to counter Koshwal, Justin Burrell will get some minutes and have a chance to attack the Demons’ post play. The Red Storm will have to play solid defense to take the Blue Demons out of the game early; they may come out on fire on senior night against a team they have a fighter’s chance to beat.

Dwight Hardy will miss the Friday evening game in Chicago. This means that someone will have to take his minutes, either by committee or by playing more of reserve guard Omari Lawrence. Given the talent of the Blue Demons, one would like to see him play a little bit.

Keys to the Game

Take Them Seriously. The Blue Demons have played better than they did in the earlier game. St. John’s has better athletes and are more competitive; but they cannot come out in a lackadaisical manner as they did against some teams. Sloppy play, turnovers, and lack of effort will doom them even against this weak squad, or make the game much closer than it needs to be.

Defend. The Demons have two offensive threats – Mac Koshwal in the post and Will Walker on the perimeter. The other players are poor shooters, but can drive a little bit. St. John’s has to make sure to keep the point guards on the perimeter and out of the paint. And they have to make Koshwal (and the other forwards) a high volume, low effectiveness player by getting him out of position early.

Generate Easy Shots. The Red Storm need to run the court well and take the easy opportunities when they can. There will be chances to run, off of turnovers or rebounds. The team needs shots in transition, especially with Dwight Hardy out.

Win the Battle on the Glass. Second chance points can make even the most inconsistent offense look good. So St. John’s has to win the battles – scoring off of putbacks on offense and limiting the Blue Demons to one shot on defense.

Recapture the Magic. The excellent, confident play against Louisville and South Florida has to come back – not the middling and distracted play from the Providence and Seton Hall contests. Swagger, body language, and aggressiveness will help them win – getting to the free throw line, taking smart shots, and playing like a favored team.

Prediction: The game will be closer than it should be. 64-57, St. John’s.

Loose in the Cuse

March 1, 2010 by Pico Dulce Leave a Comment

Ambiance: Fall Out Boy, Sugar We’re Going Down (video link, pops up in a new window)

Coach Norm Roberts – Pregame Quotes:

“We’re capable of it. We have to play 40 minutes. Syracuse is a great basketball team and doesn’t make many mistakes. We need to make shots and defend their players inside. Everything they do stems from their big guys keeping balls alive. We have to neutralize their big guys. They want to get the ball inside. Dele Coker and Justin Burrell should start for us tomorrow in a big lineup.”

Closing down the regular season are two road matchups – one in snowy Syracuse, and one in chilly Chicago. First is a matchup against the now consensus number 1 ranked Syracuse Orange in the Carrier Dome, where thousands of orange fans will be cheering their team to crush the red-clad opposition. Can the Red Storm catch Syracuse in the glow of their big win against Villanova and surprise the Orange?

syracuse jardine — Scoop Jardine + Coach Jim Boeheim. IconSMI

The end of the season is near, and the efforts by the Red Storm to translate their better play into wins and move up in the standings have not been successful. The team has had better offense recently, and has improved from their turnover-prone past. But the small improvements haven’t been able to close the large gap between being in the bottom 4 and being in the middle 8. In fact, the results from this team (and perhaps the effort) have been inconsistent.

A slew of middling performances on offense against the top teams in the league suddenly gave way to veritable offensive explosions against Louisville, Notre Dame, and South Florida.

Meanwhile, the defensive performances have averaged out to decent for the Big East, but far from dominating; and blips like the performance against Pittsburgh (allowing 71 points on 47 shots) and Rutgers (84 points on 55 shots) keep the team far from defensively competitive. And those blips are indicative of a team whose concentration, and/ or planning, and/ or execution is not where it needs to be. That should have fans questioning the team’s ability to pull a gritty win out.

Moreover, the upper level offensive teams had their way with the Red Storm, except for Louisville in the second matchup. Teams that score more of their points inside the arc like Connecticut and Pittsburgh have certainly enjoyed their success inside.

Meanwhile, Syracuse is fourth from the bottom of the Big East in three-pointers taken. Not a good matchup, there.

The Red Storm will need to defend the paint better than they did against the Panthers on Saturday. That said, St. John’s has gotten in some hot starts against teams that didn’t take them seriously – Villanova this year, #1 Pittsburgh last season… St. John’s might just come out ready to win the implausible.

Game Information

Tip Off: 7:00 PM, Tuesday, March 2
Location: Carrier Dome
TV: SNY
Radio: Bloomberg 1130

Team Reviews

Syracuse (27-2, 14-2)

25 PG Brandon Triche SO 6’4 198: 8.6 ppg* 3.1 apg* 51.5% FG

1 G Andy Rautins JR 6’4 195: 11.8 ppg* 4.8 apg* 2.7 rpg* 2.1 spg* 40.3% 3PT

4 G Wesley Johnson JR 6’7 205: 15.7 ppg* 8.7 rpg* 2.4 apg* 1.7 spg* 1.7 bpg* 39% 3PT

00 F Rick Jackson SR 6’10 250: 10.3 ppg* 7 rpg* 1.1 spg* 2.1 bpg* 61% FG

21 C Arinze Onuaku JR 6’9 261: 10.3 ppg* 5.0 rpg* 1.1 bpg

Bench

11 G Antonio “Scoop” Jardine SO 6’2 190: 8 ppg* 4.5 apg* 1.2 spg

32 F Kris Joseph JR 6’7 207: 11.3 ppg* 5.4 rpg* 1.4 spg

The team that lost to local Division II LeMoyne College in exhibition play has topped 90 points 7 times, and have been dutifully blowing out everyone. But the thing that is elite about the team is their defense – they won’t foul opponents, and the sticky 2-3 zone forces teams to shoot 3-pointers… at a 32% clip. And they hold teams to 46.5% shooting from inside the arc. It’s the magic of a team defensive concept as opposed to individual defenders; a team that communicates well on defense and doesn’t allow any quick guards to leak through.

Forcing teams the shoot 3-pointers takes them out of a balanced offense; and Syracuse takes advantage by running with long rebounds and forcing turnovers with their length. The ballhandling is done by solid freshman Brandon Triche and Scoop Jardine, who has become, apparently, an excellent passer and a capable shooter. Andy Rautins can catch-and-shoot for the three, but he can dribble a little bit – a very smart player. He has taken 79% of his shots from 3-point range in conference, and needs to be defended closely when the ball’s not in his hands as well.

On the wing, Wesley Johnson has been a spectacular playmaker who doesn’t need to take many shots. Note that he is shooting 16-55 (29%) from beyond the arc in conference play, however; and he has been struggling with a hand injury in recent games. Kris Joseph plays alongside Johnson, but functions as a wing. He is willing to take a jump shot and is a good, though not dominating, rebounder against Big east competition. That said, his might might be enough to dominate the St. John’s bigs.

Arinze Onuaku is an excellent center, rebounding and blocking shots. But he has been eclipsed a bit by Rick Jackson, who has been very good as a burly forward in the lane who also gets offensive rebounds. Neither of the two are good at shooting free throws.

St. John’s (15-13, 5-11)

St. John's logo 3 PG Malik Boothe JR 5’9 188: 4.6 ppg* 2.3 apg

23 G Paris Horne JR 6’3 191: 8.3 ppg* 2.8 rpg* 36.3% 3PT

1 G-F DJ Kennedy JR 6’5 215: 14.6 ppg* 6.2 rpg* 2.9 apg* 33.3% 3PT* 1.2 spg

15 F-C Dele Coker JR 6’10 252: 8.9 mpg* 1.9 ppg* 1.7 rpg* 1.0 bpg* 64.7% FG

24 F Justin Burrell JR 6’8 235: 6.8 ppg* 4.3 rpg* 48.3% FG

Bench:

12 G Dwight Hardy JR 6′2 187: 22.9 mpg* 10.8 ppg* 38.6% 3PT

32 F Justin Brownlee JR 6′7 232: 18.4 mpg* 6.5 ppg* 4.8 rpg

2 G-F Anthony Mason Jr. SR 6’7 210: 6.6 ppg* 5.0 rpg* 1.8 apg

5 F Sean Evans JR 6’8 255: 21 mpg* 6.6 ppg* 5.9 rpg

31 PG Malik Stith FR 5’11 185: 11.8 mpg* 1.7 ppg* 1.3 apg

Dele Coker, who has logged under 9 minutes per game on the season and 6.3 minutes per game in conference (13 of 16 games), will get the start along with Justin Burrell, according to Norm Roberts’ pregame quotes.

In truth, there is nothing for St. John’s to get stressed about. The idea in this game is to find the little cracks in the zone, play with confidence – forgetting the two teams’ records – and making plays. To do this, they’re going to have to get the ball to Justin Burrell and Dele Coker, two players who can hit that midrange jump shot. Justin Brownlee could be a strong factor as well; he has athleticism and length to get his shot off. And the coach is right, Syracuse’s bigs really dominate the glass on defense. The could be second chance points, though, according to what Syracuse has given up.

Running when possible and squaring up to shoot 3-pointers will give the Red Storm chances to score; it will be hard to get the ball inside unless the team is very crisp.

Keys to the Game

No Easy Runs. In the loss against Louisville, the Cardinals restricted the pace. And St. John’s has to take a cue from that, making the game slow and ugly. No one gets out. NO ONE. No run outs. The goal on defense has to be first and foremost to slow them down and keep them from crushing, crowd-pleasing runs.

Clog the Interior. St. John’s has to use what height they have to get poor shots out of Rick Jackson and Onuaku. Those two are the most efficient scorers on a team that prefers to go inside rather than jack shots from the outside. The team has balanced scoring, so they CAN score without those two; but good interior defense will slow down the Orange attack.

Shoot The Lights Out. St. John’s is going to need, at the very least, a good offensive performance to compete with the Orange. A great performance could make the fans in the dome get a little tight.

Catch Them Sloppy. If the Syracuse team comes out with a lackadaisical attitude, or loses concentration, the Red Storm have to attack them hard. If they can force turnovers from the Orange and score off of those, throw off their offensive attack, the team can give themselves a chance to win.

Own the Glass. Restricting second chance points will go far towards keeping the Syracuse scoring total within a reachable point for St. John’s.

Prediction: St. John’s loses control in the second half. 78-59, Syracuse.

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