SHORT STORM: Steve Lavin’s St. John’s team faces No. 15 Marquette today without two of its four leading scorers — D’Angelo Harrison and Sir’Dominic Pointer — likely needing a win and a deep Big East Tournament run to make a case for an NCAA Tournament bid. (Anthony J. Causi)
When the 2012-2013 St. John’s basketball schedule was released, there was no doubt the regular-season finale against Marquette was going to be a crucial game. It’s turning out to be a desperate one for the Johnnies.
Fresh off its most lopsided loss of the season, St. John’s faces the disheartening prospect of finishing the regular season on a four-game losing skid, its longest of the season.
The Red Storm (16-13, 8-9 Big East) have gone from being an NCAA Tournament bubble team to — time to sit — an NIT bubble team. A loss Saturday to the 15th-ranked Golden Eagles (22-7, 13-4), who are in a battle for the league title, would certainly finish off hopes of an NCAA at-large berth.
“I definitely wouldn’t call it a disappointment, because a lot of people didn’t think we’d be close to making the Tournament, or in the position we’re in now,’’ forward JaKarr Sampson said. “People picked us to be last in the Big East and things like that. We learned a lot, grew up a lot and we’ve still got a lot of growing up to do. We’ve still got big games coming up to grow and learn.”
The lack of maturity became glaring in the last few weeks. Leading scorer D’Angelo Harrison was suspended for the rest of the season by coach Steve Lavin for what sources have described as conduct detrimental to the team.
Versatile swingman Sir’Dominic Pointer is suspended for the game after getting ejected for fighting in the 66-40 loss at Notre Dame on Tuesday night. The shorthanded Johnnies will try to replace the 24.5 points and 9.8 rebounds missing between Harrison and Pointer.
“I apologize for losing my composure at Notre Dame and for my part in the fight late in the game,’’ Pointer said in a statement. “I pride myself in my on-court intensity and toughness, but I know I cannot allow it to get to that level and I accept my suspension.’’
“As a leader I know that it’s important to set a good example and I apologize to my team, my school, my family, Notre Dame and our St. John’s fans everywhere.”
Sampson said battling this adversity will make the team stronger in the future.
“It’s even tougher now [than earlier in the year], because Dom and D’Angelo are our two captains along with Phil [Greene IV],’’ Sampson said. “The pressure is definitely on, but people are just going to have to step up. Long term, this is going to help us grow. It takes pressure to make a diamond grow like Coach Lavin says.”
If the Johnnies pull off the upset, they will get the No. 9 seed in the upcoming Big East Tournament and play the noon game on Wednesday. If the Johnnies lose and Cincinnati loses, they still hold the No. 9 seed. A St. John’s loss and a Cincinnati win over South Florida in its regular-season finale would drop the Johnnies to the 10th seed and a 7 p.m. tip Wednesday.
The numbers look more like cubic zirconia than diamonds. Should the Johnnies lose today and in the first round of the Big East tourney, they would be 16-15 with an 8-10 record in league play. The NIT would have a lot of other options.
“It is what it is, what happened, happened,’’ center Chris Obekpa said. “We’ve just got to stay focused, don’t let anything push us down.”