Rumble In The Garden - All PostsHere in good times and badhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52646/ritg_fav.png2024-03-18T19:36:13-04:00http://www.rumbleinthegarden.com/rss/current/2024-03-18T19:36:13-04:002024-03-18T19:36:13-04:00Looking back on a rollercoaster ride of a St. John’s men’s basketball season
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<img alt="St. John’s Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino yells out instructions in the first half against the Seton Hall Pirates at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wCPBc5H1vNYDzppXLrlQ2beEbic=/0x0:3324x2216/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73216655/usa_today_22557783.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Plus observations from fans at the Big East Tournament</p> <p id="SbHp6G">The March 15th game against Connecticut ended with Daniss Jenkins hitting three free throws to drop the deficit to five with seconds to go. A young man approached me in the Madison Square Garden hall, having seen my red tee shirt with a white “S-J” across the front. I had never met the individual before, but he, for some reason, felt compelled to talk to me. “St. John’s was awesome,” he began, “they never gave up. That guard Jenkins is a pro. I expect they will do well in the tournament. I have to tell you - my seat was costly, but I got my money’s worth with this game”. </p>
<p id="ISrMg1">I wondered which team he supported during the tournament, so I asked, and he replied, “UConn.”</p>
<p id="thUk71">Even Huskies fans felt that St. John’s not only belonged in the tournament but that they would do well in it.</p>
<h2 id="YejigY"><strong>The dream</strong></h2>
<p id="ijcOCp">The dream began just about one year ago today. Coach Mike Anderson was leaving, and Hall of Fame Coach Rick Pitino was on his way to Queens. Optimism reigned. </p>
<p id="r1jPSv">Coach Pitino was meeting with Joel Soriano and asking him to be captain. As time passed, all but one additional player (reserve forward Drissa Traore) from the 2022-23 squad moved on.</p>
<p id="o1hEHe">In the next few months, ten other transfers from Kansas, Oregon State, Connecticut, UMass, VMI, Iona, and Ivy League schools, Yale and Harvard, would join the Johnnies along with two four-star freshmen, Simeon Wilcher and Brady Dunlap to create a buzz amongst fans. The long-term goal was a twenty-win season and an NCAA tournament invite. For some seniors and grad students, the goal was more than an invite to the tournament; it was a deep run during the games.</p>
<p id="8U6w2H">Joel Soriano’s vision was different: to help bring St. John’s back to the glory it once had on the basketball court.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Soriano on what making the tournament this season would mean for St. John's: "This would be a start. Once we get there, that's going to be the standard that this program is going to have to live by in order to make St. John's a powerhouse again."</p>— Rumble In The Garden (@rumbleSBN) <a href="https://twitter.com/rumbleSBN/status/1765854133720957156?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2024</a>
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<h2 id="vio4Rc"><strong>The early season: behind schedule</strong></h2>
<p id="GqOXcf">After adding perennial powerhouses Michigan and West Virginia, as well as accepting an invitation to the Charleston Classic to potentially face teams like Houston, Dayton, and Utah, the team and fanbase anticipated the strength of the schedule for the 2023-24 season would vastly improve. </p>
<p id="WTrWGB">The presentation of the program noticeably increased. St. John’s only scheduled five games at Carnesecca Arena, the number of games played at Madison Square Garden increased to eight, and the Red Storm would play three games in Elmont’s UBS Arena. Optimism reigned even despite an opening season loss to a Michigan deemed at the time to be a competitive team from the Big Ten.</p>
<p id="db3pkF">Unfortunately, schedule makers could not have anticipated sudden down years for the Michigan and West Virginia basketball programs.</p>
<p id="BWjI2o">Early in the season, during a press conference after a victory, Coach Pitino invited Chris Ledlum and Jordan Dingle to join him. He expressed pride that the two Ivy Leaguers would choose to attend St. John’s to “continue their education and find an opportunity to be in the tournament in their last year of the collegiate ball.” To join a dream was impossible for the Johnnies in past years!</p>
<p id="D45dp2">The Johnnies ended the nonconference schedule with an 8-3 record. A win over Utah was deemed a Quad One win, but only a little else was noteworthy, except the loss to Michigan, which was a true detriment to their dream. The early-season performances did not suggest that the dream of an NCAA bid would become a likely outcome.</p>
<p id="OGZg1u">Completing the dream would depend upon performance in Big East league play.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">FINAL: Boston College 86, St. John’s 80<br><br>The Red Storm crumble after holding a 10-point lead early in the second half. Now 6-3, they have a lot of work to do in Big East play in order to go to the NCAA tournament.</p>— Rumble In The Garden (@rumbleSBN) <a href="https://twitter.com/rumbleSBN/status/1733994289519055273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2023</a>
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<h2 id="Pgqn96"><strong>The rollercoaster of the Big East</strong></h2>
<p id="1jp9y0">At the beginning of the season, a record of 12-8 in league play seemed the benchmark for an NCAA tournament berth. The Johnnies were on target in the first five games, notching a 4-1 record.</p>
<p id="XadUXU">The next ten games began with a one-point loss at Creighton. Following it was a disastrous loss at Seton Hall, in which Seton Hall had a 28-0 run throughout the end of the first half and continued well into the second half. Only a spirited effort by inserted second-teamers made the final score somewhat respectable.</p>
<p id="UidHzW">A one-point loss to Marquette at home followed. The Big East record was now 4-4. Except for the loss to Seton Hall, the Johnnies were within four points in all of the games against the top three teams in the conference. If St. John’s made one or two critical free throws at the end of a game, corrected a missed defensive assignment, successfully won that 50/50 loose ball battle, or got a favorable call, that could have flipped one or more of those losses into the win column.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Big East Twitter:<br><br>Foul? <a href="https://t.co/EHyjRU8IDr">pic.twitter.com/EHyjRU8IDr</a></p>— Ryan Cassidy (@ryancassidycbb) <a href="https://twitter.com/ryancassidycbb/status/1746262621454483747?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2024</a>
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<p id="pSUBBs">On January 24, 2024, a 70-50 thrashing of Villanova righted the slump, but the slump quickly reinstated itself. After blowing a nineteen-point lead at the UBS Arena to Seton Hall less than one month later, the Johnnies appeared dead to playoff chances. Fans called for Coach Pitino to play the underclassmen more in preparation for next season.</p>
<p id="yRkybO">A victory over a struggling Georgetown team began to set the tone for a 5-0 ending to the regular season and a league record of 11-9.</p>
<p id="UyWgsD">From day one of the season, an 11-9 record in the Big East was never seemed enough to ensure an NCAA bid. Couple that with an average performance in the non-league games, and the Red Storm needed to do something significant in the tournament.</p>
<h2 id="T0Jslm"><strong>The Big East Tournament</strong></h2>
<p id="cr69yf">Fans verbalized that the purpose of the Big East Tournament was to ensure enough success to ensure a league bid. The evaluation of NET and Ken Pom rankings convinced them that one significant win would do it. Staying out of the first-day tournament games was deemed essential, which the Johnnies accomplished with their late-season victories. </p>
<p id="5nhB4i">To his credit, Coach Pitino set a higher goal: bringing a Big East Tournament Championship to St. John’s. </p>
<p id="Q8n2xg">To this date, the stars were aligning for the Red Storm. A win-or-go-home game with Seton Hall was set, and the Johnnies impressively did just that. But the dream was simply a dream. One of two outcomes was needed to ensure the dream would come true. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">DINGLE. AGAIN.<br><br>GO CRAZY <a href="https://twitter.com/StJohnsBBall?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StJohnsBBall</a> ‼️<a href="https://twitter.com/Jdingle25?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jdingle25</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/BIGEASTMBB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BIGEASTMBB</a> <a href="https://t.co/9Z562eeCt9">pic.twitter.com/9Z562eeCt9</a></p>— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBBonFOX/status/1768370181183537193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a>
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<p id="1ZnDJ7">The first would be a victory over the number one team in the country, the University of Connecticut, on March 15. If not a victory, then a competitive showing and having the stars align for the Johnnies just one more day. In the second scenario, the Johnnies only controlled one of the two requirements.</p>
<p id="juc2Hu">Before the Big East semifinal game, there was a consensus amongst almost all fans, whether St. John’s fans, UConn fans, or neutral observers that any team in the Big East, save Georgetown and DePaul could defeat any other team on a given night. Partway into the game, a young fan entered with UConn ahead by five points and asked, “Do we have a chance?” I simply answered, “Yes, if we keep playing as we have so far.”</p>
<p id="bHMuMw">One play that did not go Johnnies’ way could have made enough of a difference to lead to what many deemed the impossible dream of defeating UConn in the Big East Tournament. </p>
<p id="xCMg5b">Four and a half minutes into the game, the Johnnies led 13 to 8. Alleyne and Luis had substituted into the lineup. Alleyne drove down to the right of the key and saw a cutting Luis. He made a perfect pass to him. Luis took a dribble, drawing 7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan towards him instead of forcing up an off-balanced shot. Luis passed to Soriano just to the left of the basket. A perfect play so far. Soriano went up strong for a dunk, but he was met by Clingan, who blocked his shot at the rim. </p>
<p id="1SdPOV">The Huskies pushed the ball downcourt and found an open Hassan Diarra under the basket, who was fouled by Chris Ledlum as he laid the ball in. Ledlum came out of the game and stayed on the bench for the remainder of the half. Diarra made the free throw. </p>
<p id="iOSt96">If Soriano had been able to complete the dunk, the Johnnies would have been up by 15 to eight and dropping back into a defensive position. Instead, the three-point play by Diarra made the score 13-11, still in favor of St. John’s but a five-point turnaround. The Johnnies lost the game by five points.</p>
<p id="8MbGnU">Of course, an analysis like this hardly predicts a different outcome in the game. But couple that one play with the basket taken away from the Johnnies at the end of the first half when Jenkins’ layup was a split second too late, and the impossible dream might have come true.</p>
<p id="yVtcqD">The bottom line in this game was that the more talented Connecticut team enjoyed a top performance from their guards and prevailed.</p>
<p id="aM8wDt">Fans were proud of the Johnnies after this performance and confident of their success in future tournament games, whether in the NCAA Tournament or the NIT.</p>
<h2 id="sZuO4H"><strong>The Waiting Game</strong></h2>
<p id="jR53HT">Four games were of focus on Saturday night. The favorites had leads in the first half in two of the four games: Florida Atlantic versus Temple and Colorado versus Oregon. The underdogs pulled through in the second half. The second two games were competitive throughout. St. John’s fans were tweeting, “Just let us get two of the four games.” But the stars aligned against the Johnnies in all four games. </p>
<p id="6soHsG">The impossible dream of upsetting the Huskies ended with a picture of Daniss Jenkins and Joel Soriano sadly walking off the court, never to play for the Red Storm again.</p>
<h2 id="RShwTu"><strong>Summary </strong></h2>
<p id="QuSQVf">It was a memorable year. The six-game win streak near the end of the season, which included a blowout win over Seton Hall in the Big East tournament, was a joy to watch for St. John’s fans. Fans from all Big East teams expressed respect for both the Connecticut Huskies and the Johnnies after their epic 96-91 Big East semifinal contest. </p>
<p id="EV8GQB">Why St. John’s did not join other Big East teams in the NIT tournament is a disappointment for fans and players alike. The team deserves the opportunity to play in that tournament. The excuse of needing to focus on the coming year and deny these seniors and transfer students a chance to wear the red and white for at least one more game is just plain wrong. </p>
<p id="3Yk4ZK">The last time the team won in the National Invitational Tournament was in 2003. What better recruiting tool could there be for recruits than seeing the Johnnies perform in the NIT and then challenging them to say, “I want to be on the team that makes it to the NCAA tournament next year.” </p>
https://www.rumbleinthegarden.com/2024/3/18/24104993/looking-back-on-a-rollercoaster-ride-of-a-st-johns-mens-basketball-seasonTim Ferguson2024-03-18T03:18:50-04:002024-03-18T03:18:50-04:00Sunday’s tournament snub may be the most painful installment in the tortured modern history of St. John’s basketball
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<figcaption>Chris Hagan</figcaption>
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<p>You could not script this weekend any worse</p> <p id="IuCnmo">Daniss Jenkins dribbled the ball off the Madison Square Garden hardwood as the final seconds ticked down to put the final touches on a consummate 91-72 win over Seton Hall and, in all likelihood, send St. John’s into the NCAA tournament. Clamorous chants of “Let’s Go Johnnies” whirled around the arena like a cyclone. Players were skipping and cathartically yelling down the tunnel. Cheerleaders sang, “We’re going dancing, we’re going dancing!” as they walked off the court.</p>
<p id="SaFUr4">This moment felt like the start of a new era, a moment when St. John’s would—at last—turn a corner after years of futility and begin its ascension back to college basketball relevancy.</p>
<p id="xoRK26">What’s happened since is something a UConn or Georgetown fan would deem too sick and twisted for a rival to endure.</p>
<p id="of8GCn">It’s been one day since we learned the NCAA tournament committee left St. John’s out of the field of 68. Sunday’s tournament snub of St. John’s felt like watching a perfectly healthy family member suddenly die. </p>
<p id="mILLRN">Many bracketologists considered The Red Storm a close lock to reach the tournament on Thursday evening; however, a series of improbable dominoes in other conference tournaments began to fall against them. </p>
<p id="WIp4AV">Tournament lock Dayton fell to Duquesne in the Atlantic-10 tournament to open up a second bid for the mid-major conference.</p>
<p id="72KR7y">Oregon was not even on the bubble and knocked off future 2-seed Arizona en route to winning the final Pac-12 tournament.</p>
<p id="8SlSnK">Last year’s Final Four Cinderella and at-large favorite Florida Atlantic looked helpless in a loss to a 16-20 Temple team led by a first-year head coach, gifting a mediocre American Athletic Conference an extra bid.</p>
<p id="VEAvHC">New Mexico, a team with only one top-100 win away from their fortress of The Pit, swiftly knocked off future tournament teams Boise State, Colorado State, and San Diego State in consecutive days to win the Mountain West tournament.</p>
<p id="H5gxyz">The most inexplicable bid thievery this weekend comes from North Carolina State. The Wolfpack entered the ACC tournament with a record of 17-14 and an uncomfortable amount of rumors about the potential firing of head coach Kevin Keatts. As if by divine intervention, N.C. State won five games in five days, including against Virginia, Duke, and North Carolina, to save their coach’s job and clinch an automatic bid. </p>
<p id="ThNetw">North Carolina State’s run should be one of the great stories in college basketball, but it’s a tragic tale for St. John’s fans.</p>
<p id="yMClsa">As if to pour hydrochloric acid on a salt-rubbed wound, St. John’s wasn’t even one of the first four teams out of the field. For a program that tends to get kicked while it’s down, this designation was painfully familiar.</p>
<p id="gfDl9Q">An undying and loyal fanbase that doggedly stuck through years of mismanagement and tournament futility finally had a team worth rallying around, with utmost certainty that they would hear their names called on Selection Sunday, only to witness their beloved team miss the field because an overwhelming amount of poor teams stole enough bids that the NCAA tournament will have 10-seed play-in games for the first time in its history.</p>
<p id="zOf4zK">The pain felt by the fourteen players who scratched and clawed at the end of the regular season to transform a tournament appearance from a pipe dream into a realistic outcome must be even more excruciating.</p>
<p id="CppiY2">The seniors on this team do not deserve to see their final season end under these soul-crushing circumstances. Nahiem Alleyne and Daniss Jenkins deserved another chance to perform under the NCAA tournament lights. Joel Soriano, Chris Ledlum, Jordan Dingle, and Sean Conway all deserved to experience the magic of March Madness before their college careers ended.</p>
<p id="xGBHsy">Losing six players who built the foundation for this Red Storm team will make the question of who will replace them even more pressing. St. John’s basketball is in a much better position today than they were before they hired Rick Pitino, thanks to a more engaged fanbase, new NIL infrastructure, and a united administration willing to give the program the requisite support for a team playing in the Big East, but trying to replace what players like Daniss Jenkins and Joel Soriano contributed to St. John’s through the transfer portal is much easier said than done. Who knows how Rick Pitino will construct next season’s roster?</p>
<p id="euMObk">The second year of every one of Rick Pitino’s tenures bears transformative success, no matter where the Hall of Fame head coach is employed. There’s a good chance that Sunday evening’s proceedings are only a speedbump before St. John’s basketball enjoys a years-long renaissance, but we don’t know that right now. </p>
<p id="wZZfkp">There is also a decent chance that the wheels fall off for the umpteenth time in recent memory and St. John’s is sent back to the drawing board, figuring out how to return Red Storm basketball to the skyscraping heights Louie, Chris, and Walter reached — or at least the mild relevance Jarvis and Lavin brought.</p>
<p id="zZOz1b">All that is certain is that the events of March 17, 2024, are now infamously a part of the extensive anthology of heartbreak for St. John’s basketball.</p>
https://www.rumbleinthegarden.com/2024/3/18/24104587/sundays-tournament-snub-may-be-most-painful-installment-in-tortured-history-of-st-johns-basketballThomas Cavanagh2024-03-17T18:35:00-04:002024-03-17T18:35:00-04:00St. John’s misses the 2024 NCAA men’s basketball tournament
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<figcaption>Wendell Cruz/USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>A brutal 48 hours of scoreboard watching ends with a tournament snub</p> <p id="3bM89Q">There will be no dancing for St. John’s in 2024.</p>
<p id="Tbvjuu">At Sunday night’s Selection Show, St. John’s March Madness dreams were crushed as they missed the cut for the NCAA tournament. </p>
<p id="3Sptlq">St. John’s appeared like a clear lock for the NCAA tournament after dispatching Seton Hall in the Big East tournament on Thursday night. A loss to conference juggernaut UConn in the Big East semifinals shouldn’t have mattered. Barring a catastrophic amount of bid thievery before Selection Sunday, the Red Storm would be making travel plans for the Big Dance.</p>
<p id="s0j7jg">In the following 72 hours, the Red Storm’s worst fears were realized. Conference tournament winners like NC State, Oregon, Duquesne, and UAB gobbled up auto-bids to shrink a highly-competitive bubble. </p>
<p id="Mn54eL">The committee selected Virginia, Colorado State, Boise State, and Colorado over St. John’s.</p>
<p id="9NXPho">St. John’s was not even a First Four Out team, as Oklahoma, Seton Hall, Indiana State, and Pittsburgh were also ahead of them. </p>
<p id="O3W3ao">The program has also announced that they will decline any invitation to the NIT, officially beginning the offseason for the Red Storm.</p>
<p id="oSMZrF">St. John’s boasted tournament-caliber metrics that would make them an at-large team in any other season, a KenPom ranking of 25th and a NET ranking of 32nd, but relatively underwhelming resume results kept them out of the NCAA tournament picture. </p>
<p id="D9UblA">The Red Storm’s scarlet letter was a 16-point home loss to a Michigan team that finished dead last in the Big Ten. St. John’s also had a losing record against Quad 1/Quad 2 opponents (10-12) and only one win against a tournament team, a 80-66 win over 3-seed Creighton.</p>
<p id="rCbfwL">As a result of a brutal amount of bid stealing, St. John’s earns the ignominious distinction of becoming the second highest-rated NET team to miss the tournament since the metric’s inception in 2018 (the first was Indiana State, also from this season) and the first pre-tournament top-30 KenPom team to miss the NCAA tournament since 2019 Texas.</p>
<p id="qvDvow">Entering the 2024-25 season, St. John’s will continue to seek their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2019 and their first NCAA tournament win since 2000.</p>
https://www.rumbleinthegarden.com/2024/3/17/24104237/st-johns-misses-the-2024-ncaa-mens-basketball-tournamentThomas Cavanagh2024-03-15T21:26:27-04:002024-03-15T21:26:27-04:00St. John’s fights valiantly, but falls in Big East semifinals after UConn offensive onslaught
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<img alt="Connecticut Huskies guard Cam Spencer (12) fights for the ball against St. John’s Red Storm guards RJ Luis Jr. (12) and Daniss Jenkins (5) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/deqJYFUda-_t6vCTlJp7EXORSqk=/0x0:4516x3011/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73210944/usa_today_22785556.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Heroic efforts by Jenkins and Dingle were not enough</p> <p id="RBVEnY">Rick Pitino said he wanted his team to play “racehorse basketball” after yesterday’s 91-72 win over Seton Hall, and St. John’s needed a similar performance if they wanted to pull off an improbable upset over UConn in their first Friday night appearance at the Big East tournament since 2000. </p>
<p id="zU79vI">The Red Storm fought admirably for all forty minutes, but the Huskies were too much, outgunning the Red Storm, 95-90, to knock St. John’s out of the Big East tournament and advance to the championship game on Saturday. </p>
<p id="HYHakq">The Garden court was a veritable warzone. Not even 39 combined personal fouls, plus technical fouls assessed to Rick Pitino and Dan Hurley, doled out by the James Breeding-led officiating crew could obfuscate one of the most fiery and competitive Big East tournament games in recent memory.</p>
<p id="YOvyu6">St. John’s vaulted to a 10-3 lead early on, but that would be their largest lead of the game. The Huskies would respond with a 14-6 run to claim the lead. Daniss Jenkins was unconscious during this stretch, scoring 14 of his team-high 27 points in the game’s first six minutes.</p>
<p id="HA1smv">Jenkins’s red-hot touch would disappear afterward, and none of his Red Storm teammates looked ready to step up. The Huskies would make the first of several punishing runs in this game from here, taking a 30-22 lead and forcing Rick Pitino to burn one of his timeouts after a Jaylin Stewart fastbreak layup. </p>
<p id="Zkvpa2">Unsurprisingly, the Huskies would not relent, holding their lead entering the halftime break. But the Red Storm made it interesting. Jordan Dingle and Brady Dunlap made buckets in the paint; then a fastbreak Zuby Ejiofor dunk cut the deficit to three. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Johnnies on the break ⚡️ <a href="https://t.co/HQlUxTNHD2">pic.twitter.com/HQlUxTNHD2</a></p>— St. John's Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall) <a href="https://twitter.com/StJohnsBBall/status/1768771794373087463?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2024</a>
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<p id="cNnZmO">Tristen Newton responded with two free throws before Daniss Jenkins appeared to make a reverse layup that would have kept the game at one possession at halftime, but it was waved off as St. John’s entered the locker room trailing 52-47. </p>
<p id="6917td">After the halftime buzzer, Dan Hurley remained on the court asking referees to eject Tom O’Grady, a longtime friend of Rick Pitino, for alleged obscenities uttered to Hurley. In a postgame media scrum, O’Grady would say he was only telling Hurley “<a href="https://x.com/NYPost_Brazille/status/1768800547245580314?s=20">he was out of the coach’s box</a>”. The red blazer-clad O’Grady would remain at his courtside seats in the second half, after Hurley changed his mind and asked the refs to not remove him from the game out of a fear of “bad karma”.</p>
<p id="qAZOon">St. John’s appeared to have good karma exiting the locker room as they continued to apply pressure, cutting the lead down to two after a Daniss Jenkins pull-up mid-range jumper made it a 56-54 UConn game. Immediately afterward, the Huskies cut off all Red Storm momentum with a 17-2 run that could be described as an avalanche.</p>
<p id="oxJoyf">The Red Storm continued to find life in this game with Jordan Dingle and Chris Ledlum knocking down a pair of timely threes each after the ten-minute mark in the second half; Dingle would finish with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting, while Ledlum would finish with six points off those two threes.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jordan Dingle is heating up <br><br>17 PTS, 3-5 from deep <a href="https://t.co/MxueIocP9D">pic.twitter.com/MxueIocP9D</a></p>— St. John's Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall) <a href="https://twitter.com/StJohnsBBall/status/1768781422372733280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2024</a>
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<p id="AovzcO">Yet, the Huskies’ offense was simply unstoppable. Despite a last-gasp effort by St. John’s to cut the deficit down to six, a 91-85 game, it was too late for the Red Storm as the Huskies shut the door with clutch free throws.</p>
<p id="88xr3N">St. John’s had an incredible offensive game, shooting 45.1 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from three (10-of-22), and 88 percent from the free throw line (16-of-18). Those numbers looked modest compared to the Huskies’ cyborg-like offensive production. </p>
<p id="anjffQ">In total, UConn would score 57 percent from the field, 50 percent from three (11-of-22), and 91 percent from the free throw line (22-of-24). Those eye-popping numbers came despite St. John’s out-rebounding UConn 34-30 and taking 17 more shot attempts.</p>
<p id="Ji24V6">Tristen Newton (25 points), Cam Spencer (20 points), and Alex Karaban (14 points) combined for 59 points on 16-of-31 shooting from the field and 10-of-18 from three. </p>
<p id="aZoVlx">As UConn advances to play the winner of Providence and Marquette for the Big East tournament championship tomorrow night, St. John’s will spend the next two nights wondering where their names will appear on the NCAA tournament bracket.</p>
https://www.rumbleinthegarden.com/2024/3/15/24102384/st-johns-fights-valiantly-but-falls-in-big-east-semifinals-after-uconn-offensive-onslaughtThomas Cavanagh2024-03-15T06:00:00-04:002024-03-15T06:00:00-04:00St. John’s vs. UConn Big East men’s basketball tournament semifinal preview and game thread
<figure>
<img alt="St. John’s Red Storm center Joel Soriano (11) and Connecticut Huskies center Donovan Clingan (32) at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/boZfTxmnxauifGPgNryCoMqY4Ow=/0x0:2832x1888/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73208838/usa_today_22669116.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Wendell Cruz/USA Today Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Red Storm play on Friday night of the Big East Tournament for the first time since 2000</p> <p id="SutlSV">For the first time in Rumble in the Garden history, we can officially post that St. John’s is playing on Friday night of the Big East Tournament. Yesterday, the Red Storm knocked off Seton Hall by a score of 91-72 to secure their first appearance in the Big East tournament semifinals since 2000, which was also the last time they won the Big East tournament.</p>
<p id="0l3yb1">The Red Storm will have their work cut out for them, as they will face the 1-seed UConn Huskies, who swept the season series and smoked Xavier in yesterday’s Big East tournament quarterfinal, 87-60, despite giving up a 10-0 start to the Musketeers.</p>
<h2 id="LmzlKd"><strong>Game information</strong></h2>
<p id="HzkZsb">Who: 5-seed St. John’s Red Storm (20-12) vs. 1-seed UConn Huskies (29-3)</p>
<p id="saLng9">When: Friday, March 15, 2024, 5:30 p.m.</p>
<p id="y0dZ0q">Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY</p>
<p id="U3Xhla">TV: FOX</p>
<p id="7T3HS6">Radio: <a href="https://tunein.com/radio/St-Johns-Basketball-s230330/?_branch_match_id=859926811814990087">Learfield Red Storm Sports Network</a>, Sirius XM Channel 389</p>
<p id="ESdE9Y">Odds: <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.actionnetwork.com%2Fncaab%2Fbig-east-tournament-odds-pick-prediction-st-johns-red-storm-vs-uconn-huskies-friday-march-15&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rumbleinthegarden.com%2F2024%2F3%2F15%2F24101325%2Fst-johns-vs-uconn-big-east-mens-basketball-tournament-semifinal-preview-and-game-thread" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">St. John’s (+9.5), O/U of 146.5</a></p>
<p id="Id7yn5">Series History: St. John’s leads 37-33. UConn has won two meetings in the regular season, winning 69-65 in Storrs and 77-63 in New York City.</p>
<h2 id="z97vT7"><strong>Résumé review</strong></h2>
<p id="SzVmUF">St. John’s is 20-12 overall with a conference regular season record of 11-9.</p>
<p id="ocwD0b">St. John’s is currently ranked 26th in KenPom and 32nd in NET while holding the 38th-best strength of schedule rating in KenPom. Their records by NET quadrants are as follows, with game-by-game results on <a href="https://bballnet.com/teams/st-johns-ny">bballnet.com</a>. </p>
<ul>
<li id="tKTBoQ">4-9 in Quad 1 games </li>
<li id="Z9xk5V">6-2 in Quad 2 games</li>
<li id="ymVbi9">3-1 in Quad 3 games</li>
<li id="xJ1C16">7-0 in Quad 4 games</li>
</ul>
<p id="SBE9Tf">The NCAA designated St. John’s games at the Big East Tournament as home games, meaning the Red Storm cannot claim a Quad 1 win unless they face UConn, Marquette, or Creighton.</p>
<p id="ZU1r2T">Facing UConn (NET #3) at home gives St. John’s a chance to claim a Quad 1 win.</p>
<p id="HEEDGR">According to <a href="http://www.bracketmatrix.com/">Bracket Matrix’s</a> latest update on March 14, St. John’s is seeded in 97 of 105 different bracketologies with an average seed of 10.86. This update was made prior to the St. John’s-Seton Hall game.</p>
<h2 id="MvebUS"><strong>Injury update</strong></h2>
<p id="Em94sZ">No injury news for St. John’s.</p>
<h2 id="wkaJ7w"><strong>Know the enemy</strong></h2>
<p id="3P0LId">All-Big East first team honorees Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer look to build off great regular season campaigns. Newton is averaging 15.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists on 49% from two, 31% from three, and 80% from the free throw line, while Cam Spencer averages 14.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists on 55% from two, 45% from three, and 90% from the free throw line.</p>
<p id="az6mkI">Hassan Diarra won the Big East Sixth Man of the Year award last week. The senior guard from Queens averaged 5.1 points in 31 regular season games and one start, while shooting an efficient 54% from two-point range, 38% from three, and 78% from the free throw line.</p>
<p id="IMJVaU">Freshman five-star Stephon Castle has experienced the highs and lows you would expect out of a newcomer, but his play is steadily improving in the second half. Since the start of February, Castle is averaging 12.6 points on 55% from two, 33% from three, and 92% from the free throw line, compared to his season average and splits of 10.3 points on 51% from two, 27% from three, and 69% from the free throw line in his first 15 games beforehand.</p>
<p id="OCMjSV">Alex Karaban missed his last game against St. John’s with an ankle injury, but he’s been healthy since. The redshirt sophomore finished the final three regular season games averaging 17.3 points while shooting an unconscious 47.6% from three on 21 attempts.</p>
<p id="2SGHrC">The frontcourt tandem of Donovan Clingan and Samson Johnson continue to pose problems for opposing teams. The duo combined for 25 points on 11-of-14 shooting against Xavier yesterday. Clingan, in particular, has elevated his play. The 7-footer is averaging 13.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks on 64% shooting from the field in his last seven games.</p>
<h2 id="QfMqkK"><strong>Storylines to follow</strong></h2>
<p id="DJEM9v"><strong>Luis is back on track</strong> - On Thursday, Rick Pitino said R.J. Luis is <a href="https://x.com/John_Fanta/status/1768381096423563607?s=20">participating full-time in practice</a> this week after shin splints limited Luis to practicing part of the time since December. This is huge news for one of the Red Storm’s most dynamic players, who is coming off an 18 point, 9 rebound performance against Seton Hall.</p>
<p id="vf9GSH"><strong>Sharing the love</strong> - Six Red Storm players scored in double-figures in yesterday’s win over Seton Hall, but none surpassed the 20-point threshold. Can the Red Storm continue their democratic approach on offense?</p>
<p id="q8SSYV"><strong>Causing mayhem</strong> - “Stocks” are a self-explanatory stat, the sum of steals and blocks a team records in a game. The Red Storm logged 16 stocks in yesterday’s game against Seton Hall, never allowing the Pirates to find momentum. St. John’s had 20, 12, and 15 stocks in each of the three games before yesterday’s game.</p>
<h2 id="71wLbd"><strong>Keys to the game</strong></h2>
<p id="fB4rzm"><strong>Stay connected</strong> - Cam Spencer lit up the Red Storm in their last meeting at the Garden, thanks to some lackadaisical perimeter defense. The Red Storm must respect one of the best scorers in the country and not give him an inch of space.</p>
<p id="RKftsU"><strong>Disrupt the Huskies’ offense</strong> - UConn runs one of the most intricate offensive systems in the country, but they have mastered it and have become an unguardable nightmare. They run these criss-crossing off-ball patterns that keep defenses on their toes. St. John’s can’t sit back and let UConn get in rhythm; they must play the passing late and muck up the Huskies’ offense.</p>
<p id="9Ix2wI"><strong>Make your threes</strong> - The Red Storm won’t have as much success attacking the paint as they did against Seton Hall. It’s critical that St. John’s is able to make their perimeter jumpers in order to keep pace with the Huskies.</p>
<h2 id="HIPv4w"><strong>Prediction</strong></h2>
<p id="sWuh8K">St. John’s is almost certainly in the NCAA tournament picture no matter the result on Friday night, meaning they are essentially playing with house money. That doesn’t mean they should keep their foot off the pedal and kill time until Selection Sunday. The Huskies haven’t looked this dominant all season, and it’s difficult to see St. John’s pulling off a win against a full-strength Huskies team. UConn wins, 82-70.</p>
https://www.rumbleinthegarden.com/2024/3/15/24101325/st-johns-vs-uconn-big-east-mens-basketball-tournament-semifinal-preview-and-game-threadThomas Cavanagh2024-03-14T18:26:42-04:002024-03-14T18:26:42-04:00St. John’s runs wild on Seton Hall, advances to first Big East semis since 2000
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<img alt="Daniss Jenkins #5 and Joel Soriano #11 of the St. John’s Red Storm react after scoring in the second half against the Seton Hall Pirates during the Quarterfinals of the Big East Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 14, 2024 in New York City. St. John’s won 91-72." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wo7c1cQAFmuiSO1jvAPyttuOG4o=/0x0:4436x2957/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73208020/2084508876.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Sarah Stier/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Get your dancing shoes on</p> <p id="eIJqRB">St. John’s played like a team desperate to make the NCAA tournament with a resounding 91-72 win over Seton Hall in the Big East tournament quarterfinals, advancing to their first conference tournament semifinal for the first time since 2000 and assuredly punch their ticket into the NCAA tournament.</p>
<p id="rA2PG2">Seton Hall had no difficulty generating offense early on, taking a 13-8 lead while making five of their first seven baskets, including their first three attempts from beyond the arc. The Pirates maintained their edge until nine minutes remained in the first half, as Zuby Ejiofor’s three-pointer from the top of the key pushed the Johnnies ahead and kickstarted a 7-0 run that featured another three from Nahiem Alleyne and an R.J. Luis breakaway steal and score to give St. John’s a 31-24 lead.</p>
<p id="AnYDJP">R.J. Luis would carry the energy from there, scoring a team-high 18 points and picking up 9 rebounds in the game, including hitting a quick mid-range jumper to beat the halftime buzzer and give St. John’s 45-40 lead.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">JUST IN TIME. <a href="https://twitter.com/RJLuis21?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RJLuis21</a> at the buzzer ⏰<a href="https://twitter.com/BIGEASTMBB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BIGEASTMBB</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/StJohnsBBall?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StJohnsBBall</a> <a href="https://t.co/kGW3Xy3mPA">pic.twitter.com/kGW3Xy3mPA</a></p>— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBBonFOX/status/1768357666844242321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a>
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<p id="orEtRc">Unlike their last meeting with the Pirates, the Red Storm carried that momentum into the second half by leaping to a 6-0 run out of the intermission. </p>
<p id="GWzhUq">St. John’s used Seton Hall’s strengths against them by causing disruptions and breaking in transition. The Red Storm scored 22 points off 14 turnovers and produced 19 fastbreak points. That constant disruption stalled multiple chances for Seton Hall to come back, with backbreaking threes by Daniss Jenkins and Jordan Dingle sucked the oxygen out of the Pirates. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Daniss all day <a href="https://twitter.com/Djenkinss5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Djenkinss5</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/StJohnsBBall?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StJohnsBBall</a> <a href="https://t.co/ub6dwUI8VD">pic.twitter.com/ub6dwUI8VD</a></p>— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBBonFOX/status/1768365358501519576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">DINGLE GETS IT DONE!<br><br>ST. JOHN'S IS FIRED. UP. <a href="https://twitter.com/Jdingle25?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jdingle25</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/StJohnsBBall?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StJohnsBBall</a> <a href="https://t.co/3y3X2StWSw">pic.twitter.com/3y3X2StWSw</a></p>— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBBonFOX/status/1768366878571876475?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">DINGLE. AGAIN.<br><br>GO CRAZY <a href="https://twitter.com/StJohnsBBall?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StJohnsBBall</a> ‼️<a href="https://twitter.com/Jdingle25?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jdingle25</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/BIGEASTMBB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BIGEASTMBB</a> <a href="https://t.co/9Z562eeCt9">pic.twitter.com/9Z562eeCt9</a></p>— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBBonFOX/status/1768370181183537193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2024</a>
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<p id="25fA3B">The Red Storm also kept the Pirates from making clutch shots in the second half as well. After allowing Seton Hall to shoot 7-of-13 from three in the first half, they could only manage one three on nine attempts in the final twenty minutes. </p>
<p id="6WTtzk">Al-Amir Dawes tried mightily to lead the Pirates’ offense, scoring a game-high 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting and 4-of-10 from three, but the Red Storm held his teammates in check. Dre Davis, who averaged 21 points in his last five games, was held to a modest 8 points on 3-of-10 shooting. Kadary Richmond was also held in check with 13 points of his own.</p>
<p id="s4PjHR">A major question entering this game was if St. John’s was tough enough to hang with a Seton Hall team that out-rebounded them by a combined 21 boards in their first two meetings. The Red Storm not only competed with the Pirates on the glass, they dominated the battle on the boards, hauling in 39 to Seton Hall’s 29. They were also able to keep Seton Hall at bay by missing just one of their 20 free throw attempts.</p>
<p id="sSY23x">Six Johnnies scored in double-figures including Luis. Joel Soriano looked like his usual self, logging a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Chris Ledlum did a little bit of everything, scoring 11 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and recorded an absurd 4 blocks and 3 steals. Daniss Jenkins scored 11 points and dished 4 assists despite early foul trouble. Jordan Dingle recorded 14 points, including those aforementioned critical baskets. Nahiem Alleyne was perfect from the field, going 5-of-5 from the field and 3-of-3 from deep to score 14 points.</p>
<p id="UFGOTl">As the final minutes counted down, the many Red Storm fans in attendance bellowed out a cathartic “Let’s Go Johnnies” chant that could be heard from Union Turnpike and Utopia Parkway. Reaching the Big East semifinals seems like a minor victory, but for a long-suffering fanbase, it means a lot. This is one of the many demons the Red Storm seek to exorcise with Rick Pitino as head coach.</p>
<p id="RwM6sB">For 24 straight years, St. John’s spent Friday night at the Big East tournament at home. Tomorrow, they will face 1-seed UConn in the first game of the Big East semifinals in front of what should be an electrified sellout Garden crowd. </p>
https://www.rumbleinthegarden.com/2024/3/14/24100976/st-johns-runs-wild-on-seton-hall-advances-to-first-big-east-semis-since-2000Thomas Cavanagh2024-03-13T15:36:03-04:002024-03-13T15:36:03-04:00St. John’s vs. Seton Hall men’s basketball preview and game thread
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<img alt="St. John’s Red Storm guard Daniss Jenkins (5) drives past Seton Hall Pirates guard Isaiah Coleman (21) in the second half at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/slhvfngdef0cr8OLpsy3pZPpNHg=/0x0:3430x2287/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73204877/usa_today_22557849.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Wendell Cruz/USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>It’s do or die for St. John’s</p> <p id="mk3UAz">Thursday’s Big East tournament quarterfinal game against Seton Hall is likely the most important game St. John’s has played in the last five years. A win, and they’ll likely be in the NCAA tournament. A loss, and they will be riding the choppy waves of the bubble for the next three days without a paddle.</p>
<p id="YbFut6">The Red Storm hope the third time will be the charm against the Pirates, who swept the regular-season series.</p>
<h2 id="RyHJ42"><strong>Game information</strong></h2>
<p id="5QtpkX"><strong>Who:</strong> 5-seed St. John’s Red Storm (19-12, 11-9) vs. 4-seed Seton Hall (20-11, 13-7)</p>
<p id="XegYcp"><strong>When:</strong> Thursday, March 14, 2024, 2:30 p.m.</p>
<p id="RS8R3g"><strong>Where: </strong>Madison Square Garden, New York, NY</p>
<p id="BDi1Kz"><strong>TV:</strong> FS1</p>
<p id="zQyOlc"><strong>Radio:</strong> <a href="https://tunein.com/radio/St-Johns-Basketball-s230330/?_branch_match_id=859926811814990087">Learfield Red Storm Sports Network</a>, Sirius XM Channel 389</p>
<p id="WmP06t"><strong>Opening Odds: </strong>St. John’s (-4.5), O/U at 144</p>
<p id="ws0ES5"><strong>Series History: </strong>St. John’s leads 62-50. The Red Storm have lost their first two games with the Pirates this season.</p>
<h2 id="IwanNa"><strong>Résumé review</strong></h2>
<p id="6H7VDd">St. John’s is 19-12 overall with a conference record of 11-9.</p>
<p id="MRdaIY">St. John’s is currently ranked 29th in KenPom and 39th in NET while holding the 35th-best strength of schedule rating in KenPom. Their records by NET quadrants are as follows, with game-by-game results on <a href="https://bballnet.com/teams/st-johns-ny">bballnet.com</a>. </p>
<ul>
<li id="Ex3GkA">4-9 in Quad 1 games </li>
<li id="VHSvnS">5-2 in Quad 2 games</li>
<li id="q1H0lR">3-1 in Quad 3 games</li>
<li id="L8C1TN">7-0 in Quad 4 games</li>
</ul>
<p id="T6Frko">After Utah’s 90-57 win over Arizona State in the Pac-12 tournament (NET #131), their NET ranking improved to 48th, meaning the Red Storm’s neutral site win over the Utes in November becomes a Quad 1 win.</p>
<p id="peqWtP">The NCAA designated St. John’s games at the Big East Tournament as home games, meaning the Red Storm cannot claim a Quad 1 win unless they face UConn, Marquette, or Creighton.</p>
<p id="6sSoT2">Facing Seton Hall (NET #64) at home gives St. John’s a chance to claim a Quad 2 win.</p>
<p id="kTKUGS">According to <a href="http://www.bracketmatrix.com/">Bracket Matrix’s</a> latest update on March 12, St. John’s is seeded in 108 of 123 different bracketologies with an average seed of 10.81.</p>
<h2 id="8kn0vK"><strong>Injury update</strong></h2>
<p id="LzqMyO">No injury news for St. John’s.</p>
<h2 id="BrpQtk"><strong>Know the enemy</strong></h2>
<p id="51NDSz">Seton Hall finished the Big East regular season in fourth place with a conference record of 13-7. Many bracketologists regard Seton Hall as a tournament team no matter what happens on Thursday, but there isn’t unanimous agreement on whether the Pirates will receive a bye from the First Four.</p>
<p id="M4rBdZ">In their last five games, Seton Hall has averaged 70.6 points per game on 46.7% shooting from inside the arc, 37.5% from three, and 78.3% from the free-throw line. Defensively, they allow teams to shoot 54.9% from inside the arc and 35.9% from three. Despite the high shooting splits allowed, the Pirates have incredible hustle stats: a steal percentage of 12.0% and a block percentage of 15.3% in their last five.</p>
<p id="dKU0FC">Kadary Richmond was named to the All-Big East First Team on Sunday afternoon. The senior guard averaged 16.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.1 steals while shooting 44% from the field, 25% from three, and 80% from the free throw line in 29 games this season.</p>
<p id="ksSVFa">Guard Dre Davis ended the season on a high note. He’s averaging 21.0 points and 6.4 rebounds on 57% shooting from the field, 47% from three, and 96% from free throws over his last five games. Davis scored a team-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting and 4-of-6 from three in his last game versus DePaul.</p>
<p id="jo30lt">Al-Amir Dawes did not run through the tape like Davis, averaging 7.0 points per game, shooting 31% from the field and 12% from three in his final three games of the regular season. However, he has crushed St. John’s in the regular season, averaging 20 points per game and shooting 50% from three in his two games against the Red Storm.</p>
<h2 id="0nWERt"><strong>Storylines to follow</strong></h2>
<p id="BIzahf"><strong>All-Conference DJ </strong>- Daniss Jenkins was named to the All-Big East Second Team after a consistently strong season for the Red Storm. In conference play, Jenkins averaged 16.2 points, 5.1 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.4 steals on 51% shooting from two-point range, 40% from three, and 84% from the free-throw line.</p>
<p id="qCUzq9"><strong>Ledlum causing bedlam </strong>- Chris Ledlum is playing his best basketball of the season. In his last three games, the Harvard transfer is averaging 14.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 1.3 blocks on 75% shooting from two, 50% from three, and 78% from the free throw line.</p>
<p id="krmmcz"><strong>Luis making the leap </strong>- R.J. Luis is also enjoying a solid finish to the season. In his last three, he is averaging 14.0 points on 63% shooting from two and 33% from three off the bench. This stretch is also the first time he scored in double figures in three straight games since he had a four-game streak from December 30 to January 10; the Red Storm won all four.</p>
<h2 id="plvJ2Q"><strong>Keys to the game</strong></h2>
<p id="NurXS0"><strong>Deny Davis</strong> - Dre Davis is playing with tons of confidence and St. John’s needs to figure out how to cool him off. Glenn Taylor, Jr. and R.J. Luis should be tasked with matching up against the 6-foot-6 guard given their recent stretch of good perimeter defense.</p>
<p id="VgGybs"><strong>Win the rebounding battle</strong> - Seton Hall pulled down 21 more rebounds than St. John’s in their first two meetings. Joel Soriano, Chris Ledlum, and Zuby Ejiofor must toughen up and get into advantageous positions down low.</p>
<p id="VpnPfi"><strong>Space the floor </strong>- Rick Pitino mentioned in Tuesday’s media session that Seton Hall’s defense is better when they face teams with poor spacing, and St. John’s has improved in that aspect since their last meeting on February 18. With more breathing room on the court, Seton Hall will have more difficulty intercepting or deflecting passes.</p>
<h2 id="1nRM9X"><strong>Prediction</strong></h2>
<p id="1Lh7jb">Conventional wisdom in conference tournament week is that it’s very difficult to beat a given team three times in a single season. St. John’s has also been playing better basketball since their last meeting with the Pirates. They match up well against Seton Hall despite their toughness, and they’re facing them at the Garden this time. It will be a close slugfest that comes down to the final possession, but St. John’s will get a much-needed victory, winning 66-63.</p>
https://www.rumbleinthegarden.com/2024/3/13/24097933/st-johns-vs-seton-hall-mens-basketball-preview-and-game-threadThomas Cavanagh2024-03-12T19:32:33-04:002024-03-12T19:32:33-04:00St. John’s men’s basketball is embracing the must-win pressure of the Big East tournament
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<img alt="St. John’s Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino talks to guard Jordan Dingle (3) during a timeout in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pr2lRXO0SFkqMVm38vBget0Atl4=/0x0:4428x2952/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73202661/usa_today_21891958.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Wendell Cruz/USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Red Storm aren’t bothered by the tournament bubble duress</p> <p id="cldphu">Tennis icon Billie Jean King famously said, “Pressure is a privilege.” Rick Pitino and his St. John’s basketball team have adopted that mantra in a pivotal week for the program.</p>
<p id="b3ONTM">“Pressure to me is your ally, your best friend in life. Stress is your enemy,” Rick Pitino said at Tuesday’s media availability.</p>
<p id="tKe1cu">Regarded by many experts as one of the last four teams in the NCAA field of 68, St. John’s will be in a win-or-go-home game when they face Seton Hall in the Big East tournament quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon (2:30 p.m. on FS1). </p>
<p id="LtKhLU">The Pirates handed the Red Storm two of their most deflating losses of the season: an <a href="https://www.rumbleinthegarden.com/2024/1/16/24041038/st-johns-pillaged-at-seton-hall-80-65">80-65 road shellacking</a> on January 16 when St. John’s gave up a 28-0 run and were without Rick Pitino due to a COVID diagnosis and a <a href="https://www.rumbleinthegarden.com/2024/2/19/24077474/three-takeaways-and-observations-from-st-johns-meltdown-loss-to-seton-hall">68-62 collapse</a> on February 18 inside UBS Arena where the Red Storm blew a 19-point lead and provoked Rick Pitino into unleashing a <a href="https://www.nj.com/sports/2024/02/after-latest-st-johns-loss-rick-pitino-laments-shtty-facilities-lack-of-toughness-and-lost-season-due-to-recruiting.html">scorched-earth postgame rant</a> about his players. </p>
<p id="IG3fVD">That second loss to Seton Hall was the turning point of the season. Since then, St. John’s has won five straight games to leapfrog into the NCAA tournament picture, and they have made noticeable adjustments in that span.</p>
<p id="7xYfv2">“If you don’t have great spacing in your attack, (Seton Hall) are going to make you pay for that,” said Rick Pitino, “We are a better basketball team from an offensive spacing standpoint since the last time we played them.”</p>
<p id="lMBsR3">St. John’s is averaging 88.4 points per game in their last five games, shooting 58% from inside the arc, 40.7% from three, and 75.8% from the charity stripe. Players have attributed the offensive explosion to feeling looser on offense.</p>
<p id="y63RgR"> “We’re just playing with more freedom,” said Jordan Dingle on Tuesday, “We’re having a lot more fun on the court and we’re being ourselves, nobody’s overthinking or acting like they’re scared to make a mistake.”</p>
<p id="SjA0Kb">To say there is a lot at stake on Thursday would be an understatement. Many bracketologists hypothesize that the Red Storm will need at least one win in the Big East tournament to make it to the NCAA tournament field. If the Red Storm lose, they will be at the mercy of bid-stealers and other bubble teams seeking to jump into the field.</p>
<p id="Sp2CkU">“We know if we lose, it may very well be our last game. I wouldn’t necessarily call that pressure, but if you want to refer to it as that, I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” said Dingle, “I think that’s where people really get the chance to rise to the occasion, and everybody is going to step up their game.”</p>
<p id="cPQyQE">The Red Storm will need multiple players to rise to the occasion on Thursday afternoon or else they risk facing a fifth straight season of sitting at home in March.</p>
https://www.rumbleinthegarden.com/2024/3/12/24098839/st-johns-mens-basketball-is-embracing-the-must-win-pressure-of-the-big-east-tournamentThomas Cavanagh