Game Day Preview: St. John’s vs. Hoyas
Four of the top scorers in the Big East will take the court Saturday as St. John’s welcomes longtime rival Georgetown to Madison Square Garden. But the Johnnies are hoping to reverse a recent slump against their conference foe as the Hoyas have defeated St. John’s in four of the past five meetings.
“For me, I am 0-3 against them right now and all three games haven’t really been close,” said sophomore Malik Ellison. “Last time it was a lopsided game at Georgetown. So, we want to come into the Garden tomorrow and really get to them early.”
Lopsided, indeed it was as Georgetown steamrolled St. John’s in the nation’s capital for a 28-point win with St. John’s presenting little resistance against an opponent that doesn’t sit too far away in the conference standings. As of Friday, St. John’s stands a spot ahead in eighth place with three games to play.
“They have very big guys, especially in the middle,” Ellison added. “We aren’t the biggest team in the Big East or in the country, so they are more physical than us. The last three meetings they played against us, they really set the tone and we weren’t able to punch back. The game plan for tomorrow is to set the tone early.”
An early punch has been missing lately for St. John’s, which has lost its past two games — both on the road — by a combined 46 points.
“That’s something you have to develop,” Chris Mullin said of the team’s defensive inconsistency on the road. “I think the real good players love playing on the road maybe even more so than at home. When you get to that point, part of it is experience and part of it is confidence. Having some success and feeling how much fun it is to play on the road.
“It’s nice to play at home and get the crowd going, but it’s kind of special to shut a crowd up too. It takes time, it takes experience; sometimes it takes failing first to get to the other side. The really good teams at any level play good on the road.”
Over the last two games, No. 24 Butler hung 110 points on the St. John’s before Marquette added another 93, the former was a season-worst for points allowed by the Red Storm. Mullin cited a lack of balance in shifting gears as one of the key reasons for the recent lapse.
“I think its discipline. We like to put ball pressure on [our opponent] ideally full court,” he said, “but also not gambling for steals and give guys free runs to the basket. It’s kind of like on offense you like to get the ball up court as fast as you can and then be disciplined and find the best shot. Sometimes we have a hard time playing at two speeds.”
In the final week of the season, St. John’s has a chance to finish outside the bottom four in the Big East standing — avoiding the opening day of the postseason tournament — but Mullin will take it one game at a time, with Georgetown next one the calendar.
“At this point of the season we’re in pretty good position to do some damage. We focus on one game at a time, but having good habits and going out and performing come game time. We’ve done that on some nights and some nights we haven’t. That’s why you have a disciplined work ethic so you don’t have to all of a sudden gear it up. This is why you work hard every day.”
Here’s the need-to-know information for the Big East match:
Opponent: Georgetown (14-14 5-10 Big East)
Last meeting: 83-55, Georgetown
St. John’s in all-time series: 55-51
Tip off time: Noon
Location: Madison Square Garden