My friends and my wife pity me. Announcers make things up about the team being close while the Red Storm are being blown out to sea. Other team’s little 5’9″ walk-ons make sure to get their shooting practice in before they play the Johnnies, because they might get in the game. This is the life of following St. John’s, and I must say, it is tiring.

A 14-15 record says that team isn’t DePaul-bad; they’ve topped the win total from last year. But a closer look shows an incredibly weak out-of-conference schedule including NJIT, Bethune-Cookman and Howard from the MEAC, low-level locals, and other win-padders that did not expose the team’s flaws. But a funny thing about the record is that in every single loss (except for against Duke), St. John’s has not been in a really close game; when they lose, they lose by 10 or more points. I think it’s because the team gets down and starts pressing, the turnovers mount, and the team can’t come back.

Would this be better without the injured Anthony Mason Jr.? I don’t really think so. The weakness isn’t necessarily depth at shooting guard/ wing, though not having Kennedy and Horne play every minute might be nice. It’s a lack of consistent contribution/ low-post game from the forwards except for garbage points. It’s a lack of any kind of reliable, pace-setting ballhandler (and defense at the point). It’s a lack of crisp passing overall. It’s a lack of a go-to point guard who can score a little to make defenses honest. Couple those factors with poor jump shooting and weak shooting from beyond the arc, and you have a team that just can’t hang with the atletic teams in the league. The problem is not just overall talent, or “youth” as the head coach will often complain about. It’s in recruiting (where 6 or 7 players will vie for playing time at the SG/ wing positions once two new recruits arrive on campus), it’s in evaluation of players and long-term planning, it’s in the training of players.

Scouting report:

St. John’s relative strength is in the guard/ SF positions, where Paris Horne and DJ Kennedy provide solid defense while leading the team in scoring. Paris Horne has worked on his jump shot; it’s not automatic from beyond the arc, but fairly reliable. He is fast with the ball in transition and is developing a solid half court game; he can get above the rim. Kennedy is a strong fundamental player with an inconsistent shot; he can handle the ball a little, make drive-and-kick plays, and draw fouls. He can hit the jump shot, but that isn’t the main component to his game. The backup guard is Quincy Roberts, who sometimes handles the ball as a backup point guard… he has some athleticism but is finding his place in the offense, along with his passing ability.

At point is Malik Boothe. He is a bulldog defender and solid ballhandler, but has struggled at both since returning from a hand injury. His scoring is intermittent, and his jump shot usually results in a rebound opportunity. He is sometimes backed up by TyShwan Edmondson, a lanky defender who needs to gain some weight. He is quick but hasn’t made much impact this year; he struggles to stay with his man on defense.

At forward, Sean Evans is the most reliable player. The agile former defensive end willingly muscles up other players and bangs on the offensive glass. His field goal percentage is higher than his free throw percentage… he has a jump shot but he prefers to do his work deep in the paint and collect hustle points. Justin Burrell is the most athletic and talented, but has struggled since returning from broken bones in his face (courtesy of Evans) with a mask on his face. He has range and ability but often fades in the offense. Rob Thomas gets a number of minutes; he is a very willing banger and has a nose for the ball on oeffensive rebounds. He has an incredibly nice touch from in close.

Also getting time: Dele Coker, who missed the DePaul game. He is the shot blocker, and has really improved his timing in the latter part of the season. There is also Tomas Jasiulionis, who is 6’11″ and willing to throw his body around. Phil Wait is deep on the bench. The Manchester, UK, native hasn’t gotten to show much this year, but was known to be a project when he came to St. John’s.

How to Play the Red Storm

Turnovers. Look for turnovers. Press, trap, trap some more – the team finds it hard to work out of pressing, trapping defenses, and has had the problem all year. One hopes that maturity will aid in this, but this has been a problem for most of Norm Roberts’ teams.

Packing in the defense in the half court and playing zone also forces St. John’s to work for less-reliable shots. Sometimes Justin Burrell’s face-the-basket game can be a zone-buster, but he hasn’t displayed the jump shot as much as he probably should this year – though his range now goes out to the three-point line.

Putting constant pressure on the point guards when they are defending is also a ploy to use; as is movement from the defensive forwards. Patience and movement will wear down the thin Red Storm.

Johnny: Villanova has basically the same team from last year. What’s been the difference that has given Nova so much more success this season.

Chris: Basically, everyone is a year older. Corey Fisher has really grown up and that has made a huge difference. He and Corey Stokes both learned to play defense. Last year, we didn’t have any seniors, so the leaders were juniors. Now they are a year older and really leading by example.

Shane Clark is over his injuries and is becoming a force on the offensive glass. Dwayne Anderson is the heart and soul of the team. And as you know, Dante Cunningham has come out of nowhere. He’s probably the biggest difference. We finally have a low post presence and it’s really freeing up the guards. Cunningham’s development has been remarkable to watch for 4 years. When he was a freshman, Jay Wright insisted he would be an All-Big East forward before he left. I was skeptical, but Wright was dead on.

Johnny: How are Villanova fans looking forward to this game? I know that Nova fans are big into this rivalry, but this being a down year for Georgetown and a good year for the Wildcats so far, is this still a big draw? Are the fans gonna get pumped up for this game or has the wins against Cuse and Pitt overshadowed the Hoyas?

Chris: Well, the students are on spring break, which is going to make it less of an electric atmosphere, but I think Villanova fans are really looking forward to the game in general. We sense that Top 4 seed in the BET is not far off, so there should be no let down, even though Georgetown is struggling. The Pitt and Marquette wins were our biggest of the year, but I think we all usually get pretty excited when a marquee Big East team comes to town.

Plus, after last year and the questionable foul on Stokes at the end, I think the team will really want this one.

Johnny: What’s it like having Senior Day in the middle of February? I know you guys have like a thousand home courts, but how does it work – is it confusing / do the seniors have anything to play for anymore?

Chris: Well, the reason they did it so early was because the last 2 home games are over spring break for the students, so they wanted to give the seniors are home game while everyone was on campus. The game itself (vs. Rutgers) was kind of a dud. It was emotional, especially for us seniors, because the current senior class has been amazing in terms of development and carrying this program.

As far as if anything is left to play for, yes there is. The current seniors can become the winningest class in ‘Nova history if they win Saturday, so that’s big for them. Also, they know they have a chance to make a run this year, and they want to set themselves up for the NCAA Tournament. So winning down the stretch is essential, and they know it.

Johnny: With the new format for the Big East Tournament, being one of the top four teams is a HUGE advantage. Is this something the team is thinking about or do they take it one game at a time? With the injury to Dominic James, does that make Marquette’s 4th place even more tempting?

Chris: It’s absolutely on their minds. With Marquette and Pitt both having 3 losses now, that goal is well within reach. It would actually be easier for us to pass Pitt (still have a date with UConn and Marquette) than it would be to pass Marquette, because we own the head to head over Pitt. Actually, if we win out, we automatically get a Top 4 seed (because Pitt and Marquette play each other). So their destiny is in their hands.

The James injury is going to be a killer for Marquette. I think with their guard play they were probably a sure fire Elite 8 team, but now, they’ll struggle to get out of the 1st weekend. They are just in a brutal stretch of scheduling right now, but I think Wes Matthews and Jerel McNeal are good enough to carry them and possibly hang on to a Top 4 seed.

Johnny: I’m gonna throw this last question right backatcha. Finally, what’s your feeling on the game? Villanova struggled with DePaul badly on Wednesday, but Georgetown is reeling. The Villanova students will largely be on break, which helps Georgetown immensely. Any predictions?

Chris: I think the bad taste that last year’s game left is on Villanova’s minds, and the near upset at DePaul will wake them up. The Wachovia Center will be a little more dead than usual, but I like Villanova to beat the Hoyas. I think the guard play of Villanova will prove to be greater than Georgetown’s, and Dante Cunningham is going to teach Greg Monroe a thing or two.

 
So thanks to Chris for setting this up. Be sure to check out his site before the game, and hopefully his prediction about the outcome won’t come true.

Scouting Seton Hall

Peaks and Valleys
The Pirates will enter the Verizon Center as winners of five consecutive Big East games, after their 0-3 start. It is the longest conference winning streak since 2006 and includes the first Big East road wins (at Providence, at Rutgers) in the Bobby Gonzalez era. The Hall has three newcomers who play significant minutes, and the young team is finally playing together.

Primary Offensive Weapons
The Pirates are smallish and play a traditional guard-oriented style. At 6’5″ Brian Laing is an undersized power forward, but his strength and leaping ability creates matchup problems for opponents. He leads the team and is among the conference leaders in points per game (17.4) and minutes (39.1). Seton Hall is among the best conditioned teams in the nation and Bobby Gonzalez will leave his leading scorers on the floor from wire-to-wire, despite the sometimes frantic pace at which they play.

The other player who creates one-on-one baskets is sophomore point guard Eugene Harvey. His points per game have been reduced in conference play, but that is largely the result of a pass-first mentality that has evolved. He can drive the lane with the nation’s best, and is an excellent passer. He does not use the three-point shot as a weapon, and is 4-for-9 from downtown in league play.

Jeremy Hazell and Jamar Nutter have been hot from long-range lately. Hazell, a 6-5 freshman, has taken 144 treys, converting 37% of them. If his shot is on, he will not hesitate to launch the ball from more than 5′ behind the arc.

The Hall does not get much offensive production from the center position and rarely tries to create plays down low. Starting center John Garcia’s chronically bad knee has left him anguishing up and down the court.

On Defense
The Pirates will play out of a base 3-2 zone, but mix in a 2-3 matchup, a 1-2-2 with the small forward on top and even a diamond-and-one if it is necessary. As of late, they have played all of their defenses well. The Hall has been using a press less this year, but will still do so to force tempo and create turnovers. Paul Gause, despite missing seven games with a broken bone in his hand, is still among the conference leaders in steals and is moving up SHU’s all-time steals list. The 6′ guard may be in the NFL one day with his speed and quickness.

In attempting to guard Hibbert, the Pirates will likely use their three centers (John Garcia, Mike Davis and Austin Okosun) to give 15 fouls. They do not have anyone who can defend him in the paint, but the SHU guards have very active hands and will try to swarm the big man.

How to Beat Seton Hall
SHU will try to keep the game fast and looks to maximize their number of offensive possessions. They will shoot early in the shot clock, and try to create turnovers.

Georgetown has the height to simply throw over the Seton Hall press. If it is negated and the Hoyas value the basketball in a half-court set, then they hold matchup advantages at most positions. Last year, the book on Seton Hall was to sit in a zone to close driving lanes and dare the Pirates to shoot from outside. That’s no longer true and Georgetown will have to step outside and challenge long range shots.

Meet the Orange:

• Point Guard Jonny Flynn is a freshman averaging 15 points a game and 5.4 assists. He set a Syracuse freshman debut record with 28 points in the season opener. Flynn is a pretty solid shooting and can get to the basket. If you stop his path to the basket, he’ll probably get the ball to a big man for a dunk.
• Shooting Guard Scoop Jardine is a freshman filling in for the injured Eric Devendorf. He’s not much of a factor on offense, scoring five points a game, but plays solid defense. He’s a very solid stat stuffer, unfortunately one of those stats are turnovers. He had eight against Villanova Saturday.
• Small Forward Paul Harris is a sophomore and an absolute monster on the glass. Harris is only about 6’4″ but averages 9.4 rebounds a game. He’s a ferocious competitor and the best all around player on the team. Jim Boeheim has a short leash for him, one bad shot and Harris is on the bench. He admitted he quit against Villanova which is very un-Paul Harris like.
• Power Forward Donte Green is a freshman and the best scorer on this team since Carmelo Anthony. He’ll hit shots from anywhere on the court. He leads the team in scoring at 18.5 per. A little more consistency from Green and he could put up 25+ a game. On defense, he can block shots, but doesn’t do much else.
• Center Arinze Onuaku (basic pronunciation: A-rinse-a On-ew-ak-ew) is a redshirt sophomore who has great low post moves, but isn’t a great defender and an okay rebounder. He also can’t hit free throws, just 45% for the year.
• Off the bench Syracuse plays just two players: Freshman PF Rick Jackson who has a knack for blocking shots and a nice lefty baby hook. The other is SF/PF Kristof Ongenaet (On-ge-net) who’s a Belgian JUCO transfer. He’ll be the guy on the floor diving for the ball with the funny hair.

What Syracuse Does Best:

• Syracuse likes to push the ball straight up the court and get easy baskets early in the shot clock.
• S.U. is 10th in the country in two point field goal percentage at 56.1%. On a good night this team won’t take more than 10 three pointers unless Donte Green gets hot early.
• The Orange also pounds the offensive glass as they are 20th in the country in rebounding their misses.

How to Beat Syracuse:

• Slow the game down. Make them execute in their half court offense. This team struggles to score when the tempo of the game is below 70 possessions. Georgetown plays at an agonizingly slow pace. If they make Syracuse play their game, the Orange don’t have a chance.
• Make Roy Hibbert be a factor. Against the 2-3 zone last year, Hibbert was an absolute non-factor.
• Double team Arinze Onuaku down low. Cincinnati was the first team to do it and they beat Syracuse beat them pretty easily.
• Hit threes. Plain and simple. Hit your shots and the Orange are sunk.