PHILADELPHIA — St. John’s coach Steve Lavin said the words “eye test” so many times Saturday afternoon, you would think he moonlights as an optometrist. Maybe he is in a way, because he wants more than anything for the NCAA selection committee to have a clear view about how his Johnnies are playing these days.
A 57-54 loss to ninth-ranked Villanova at Wells Fargo Center was a missed opportunity to beat a top Big East team on the road. But Lavin wants to make sure the defeat doesn’t blur the fact the Red Storm played well enough to win, and shouldn’t be penalized because they fell short against the Wildcats.
“It was a Big East battle right to the end,” Lavin said after watching Rysheed Jordan’s half-court heave at the buzzer miss wide.
The Red Storm (18-10, 8-7) might have lost on the scoreboard, but they passed the “eye test” again in losing for just the second time in their past 11 games. They competed, they hustled and, at times when Villanova (24-3, 12-2) looked like it might pull ahead, St. John’s used its length and speed to battle back.
Poor execution down the stretch, including a traveling call on Phil Greene IV with 14 seconds left and a lane violation on Jordan with 1.5 seconds remaining, doomed St. John’s. But otherwise they “continued to punch and counter punch for 40 minutes,” Lavin said.
Schooled by his roots in broadcasting as well as coaching, Lavin knows how this works. He knows it’s never too soon to start lobbying anyone who might be listening the Red Storm are playing their best basketball and worthy of an NCAA bid. Sometimes it’s not all about the RPI, but what looks good to the eye.
“Our team, if you know basketball, is coming together at the right time of the year and playing good basketball,” the coach said.
That’s true. But Lavin is also smart enough to know all his lobbying means nothing if the Red Storm don’t finish with at least two more wins in their final three regular-season games and earn at least one victory in the Big East Tournament. To that end, Lavin told his team minutes after losing to Villanova to visualize getting ready for the Big East Tournament in three weeks at Madison Square Garden.
First, they’ll play Xavier on Tuesday at the Garden before finishing the regular season against DePaul at the Garden on March 2 and at Marquette on March 8. There is no time to dwell on what could be viewed as a heart-breaking loss Saturday.
“We’re at that stage of where you can’t be concerned with the past or the fantasy of the future,” Lavin said. “We have to get back to work. It’s incumbent on us just to accumulate wins and control our own destiny based on how we perform.”
The Red Storm like their chances with a full and healthy roster. Senior forward Orlando Sanchez didn’t play on Saturday after his wife gave birth. Sophomore center Chris Obekpa (one point, two rebounds, two blocked shots) played 24 minutes but was limited on a sprained ankle that was supposed to keep him out for two weeks.
If nothing else, the Johnnies have earned the endorsement of Villanova coach Jay Wright. The Wildcats had to limit St. John’s to just four points over the final minutes to secure the win.
“St. John’s, without a doubt, is a tournament team,” Wright said, “not because I say so, but because they’re good enough.”
The Red Storm can prove him right and make Lavin’s sales pitches easier with a strong finish. All eyes will be on them.