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St. John's vs Xavier game thread: rubber meets road in a must-win game

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Saturday, February 14th, 2015
When: 12:30 PM Eastern
St. John's (16-8, 5-6 Big East) vs Xavier Musketeers (16-9, 7-6 Big East)
Pomeroy Rank: St. John's: 43 | Xavier: 23
Cintas Center (Capacity: 10,250)
Where: Cincinnati, OH
TV: FOX
Radio: WNYM 970
Line: Xavier, -8

Xavier logo

Is Obekpa playing? According to Brandon Tierney, one of the radio voices for St. John's, he is active.

Chris Obekpa, the shot-blocking sensation, played about six seconds in a win over Creighton after sitting out the first half... a half he sat out because of an unsportsmanlike elbow to the back of an opponent's head in the previous game. Obekpa entered the game, tried for a rebound, came down gimpy, and missed the next game against perimeter-oriented DePaul.

Today, St. John's is on national television, still desperate, and have a lot to gain with a win in Cincy. If St. John's can pull off the upset against Chris Mack's Xavier Musketeers, a team with a pair of 6'10" post presences in Matt Stainbrook and Jalen Reynolds, the Johnnies can think about the NCAA Tournament again.

Is this team made of February magic? Can the Red Storm get hot and win against a Xavier team that packs the paint, forces outside shots - St. John's weakness?

Read more in our St. John's vs Xavier game preview, and let's get talking!