St. John’s fans may want to readjust their expectations.
Sixteen games into a season that began with NCAA Tournament buzz, the Red Storm are a middling 9-7 and an even more disappointing 0-4 in the Big East.
“I think they’re an NIT team,” CBS Sports college basketball analyst Doug Gottlieb told The Post. “We overrated them or Steve [Lavin] hasn’t done a good enough job, or we undervalued the importance of having more experience at the point-guard spot.
“It’s been a disappointment. I picked them to win the league, and there’s no shot they win the league.”
Gottlieb said a variety of issues have hurt the Johnnies, from the slower-than-expected development of highly rated freshman point guard Rysheed Jordan, to the new group’s inability to mesh quickly, to a difficult schedule that has included three of the top six teams in the country: No. 2 Syracuse, No. 4 Wisconsin and No. 6 Villanova.
Jordan’s play has picked up of late, and he had 16 points, six rebounds and four assists in a loss to DePaul on Tuesday, but also six turnovers. St. John’s has faltered down the stretch in three of its losses, including the setback to DePaul, when the Johnnies managed just one point over the final 4:35, coughing up a four-point lead.
“I don’t think you have a great decision-maker,” ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg said. “A guy who will facilitate and make a play when the opportunity presents itself, that has the trust of his teammates.”
Lavin has raved about his team’s depth from the outset, often using as many as 11 different players and eight different starting lineups. But that may not be a positive, CBS Sports Network analyst Steve Lappas said.
“For me, personally, I’ve never been a fan of playing that many guys,” Lappas, the former Villanova and Manhattan coach, said.
During the preseason a number of experts said St. John’s had arguably the most talent in the Big East. The Storm had the most players of any team in the Big East honored during the preseason (four), but that has come into question also.
“What’s talent? Is talent athleticism or is talent basketball skill?” Gottlieb said. “Athletically, they look very, very good when they go through layup lines, but how many of their guys can really, really play?” Gottlieb asked. “We rated their athleticism, not their basketball acumen.”
All hope is not lost.
On Thursday, St. John’s begins a three-game homestand at Carnesecca Arena, where it is a perfect 6-0, against shorthanded Providence, and three of the Johnnies’ four Big East games have come on the road. The Red Storm have the 12th-toughest schedule in the country and an RPI of 71. But to get to 20 wins by the time of the Big East Tournament, St. John’s would have to go 11-4 the rest of the way, and the schedule includes road games against ranked teams Villanova and Creighton, and a trip to Milwaukee to face Marquette.
“I thought they were a team at this point that would be knocking on the door of the tournament as opposed to now they have their work cut out for them,” Lappas said. “There’s no question they’re behind the eight ball.”