No Lindsey, no problem.

That described St. John’s win last Saturday against Fordham, as the Red Storm pulled out the victory with a six-man rotation in their first game without Nurideen Lindsey running the point. Now back at .500, the Red Storm welcome Texas-Pan American to Carnesecca Arena in their final nonconference game before the start of Big East play this Tuesday against Providence.

Also, for his season debut, Amir Garrett will suit up and be able to play for St. John’s.

JohnnyJungle.com gets you closer to what you need to know below before tonight’s opening tip.

Date: Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Location: Carnesecca Arena; Jamaica, New York
Time: 7:00 PM EST
TV: ESPN3/espn3.com via STJ-TV (Tony Luftman, Tarik Turner)
Radio: WBBR 1130 AM (John Minko, Tim O’Toole)
Online: WSJURadio.org (Tim Dimas, John Sudolsky)

St. John’s Red Storm (5-5)
Head Coach: Steve Lavin (2nd season at STJ, 26-17; 171-95 overall)

Projected Starting Lineup:
G Phil Greene (6-2 Fr., 6.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 36% FG, 69% FT, 2.0 APG, 1.1 SPG)
G D’Angelo Harrison (6-3 Fr., 13.5 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 34% FG, 32% 3pt, 82% FT, 1.4 APG, 1.6 SPG)
F Sir’Dominic Pointer (6-5 Fr., 6.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 52% FG, 40% 3pt, 48% FT, 1.1 APG, 1.0 SPG)
F God’sgift Achiuwa (6-8 Jr., 11.3 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 54% FG, 75% FT, 1.3 BPG)
F Moe Harkless (14.7 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 42% FG, 64% FT, 1.3 APG, 1.8 BPG, 1.7 SPG)

Key Reserves:
G Malik Stith (5-11 Jr., 3.4 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 43% FG, 40% 3pt, 67% FT, 1.5 APG), Amir Garrett

Keys To Victory:
– Slow and steady wins the race. With a six-man rotation, the biggest factor in this game will be conditioning. St. John’s can ill afford to burn themselves out in a game like this with the Big East season starting in just another six days. Therefore, the tendency to show off will have to be reined in through most of the first half. Conservative basketball will serve the Red Storm well in the opening minutes in this matchup.

– Don’t look too far ahead. Not only does St. John’s have a winnable game tonight, their Big East opener against Providence (currently 10-2) is also a matchup that some fans are tipping the scales toward the Johnnies in before their New Year’s Eve clash with reigning national champion Connecticut. With two games where they will be favored, (one of them heavily) St. John’s needs to take this upcoming stretch one game at a time going into the start of conference play and beyond.

– Welcome to the family. After initially being declared ineligible, swingman Amir Garrett has finally arrived on the bench. The left-handed two-sport star has earned the respect of the fans by upholding his commitment to the Red Storm; and if he does make his collegiate debut tonight, expect an ovation similar to the rousing hands former walk-on Kevin Clark received every time he touched the court.

Now, to familiarize everyone with a little-known opponent…

Texas-Pan American (UTPA) Broncs (4-9)
Head Coach: Ryan Marks (3rd season at UTPA, 16-61; 164-144 overall)

Projected Starting Lineup:
G Nick Weiermiller (6-1 Sr., 4.6 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 39% FG, 34% 3pt, 80% FT, 3.5 APG)
G Brandon Provost (6-3 Jr., 12.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 38% FG, 38% 3pt, 80% FT, 2.2 APG)
G Jared Maree (6-3 Sr., 14.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 51% FG, 38% 3pt, 64% FT, 1.5 APG)
F Earl Jefferson (6-5 Jr., 4.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 42% FG, 60% FT)
F Ruben Cabrera (6-7 Jr., 7.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 49% FG, 39% 3pt, 57% FT)

Key Reserves:
G Aaron Urbanus (6-0 Jr., 6.2 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 38% FG, 36% 3pt, 55% FT, 1.4 APG)
G Jesus Delgado (6-4 Jr., 3.5 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 34% FG, 62% FT, 1.6 APG)
F Josh Cleveland (6-6 So., 3.4 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 38% FG, 40% FT)

Keys To Victory:
– Confidence. Anything can happen on any given day, and UTPA will look to prove that old adage to be true. Still reclassifying from Division II, the Broncs will look to use their long-range proficiency to keep the Red Storm defense at work throughout the night in the hope of doing what Kennesaw State did last year when they knocked off Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

– Experience against top teams. UTPA may play in the lightly-regarded Great West Conference, but the Broncs have challenged themselves through thirteen games this season. With contests against the likes of DePaul, Northwestern and second-ranked Ohio State already under their belt, UTPA is up for the challenge against a six-man St. John’s roster.

– One-man show. The Broncs have three players averaging more than ten points per game, but Jared Maree has established himself as the star of this team. Coming into this contest with a clip of 14.8 points per game and a 38 percent mark from three point range, the most impressive statistic on Maree’s ledger is his ability to take high percentage shots. At 51 percent, he is UTPA’s top shooter from the field, and will likely get a number of opportunities to capitalize off of that against a St. John’s unit that has been historically susceptible to giving up a big game to a particular player.

So, Who Wins?
UTPA will come into this contest with an “us against the world” mentality, and rightfully so. Even if Amir Garrett does make his debut tonight as expected, don’t be surprised to see UTPA compete early and get a few triples and mid-range jumpers to keep it close against the Red Storm. With Big East play approaching, St. John’s is well aware of what is at stake here. It’s not going to be a clinic for either side, but the Johnnies get the job done to open conference play with a 6-5 record.

Final Score: St. John’s 73, UTPA 55