St. John’s put forth by far its best performance yet in Big East conference play, but it still resulted in defeat, a hard-fought 74-67 loss Saturday at the Garden to No. 8 Villanova.
The Red Storm find themselves in the Big East cellar, a surprising spot considering Steve Lavin’s talented club was picked by some to challenge for the league crown and reach the NCAA Tournament.
Up next is a visit to the Windy City against DePaul on Tuesday. Before getting to the Blue Demons, below are a few thoughts from the loss to Villanova:
Jordan’s evolution: It was another positive step in the continued development of freshman Rysheed Jordan against one of the better backcourts in the country. He scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds, added two steals in 31 minutes, and got into the lane at will after Lavin inserted him into the starting lineup.
In spurts now, we have seen what the 6-foot-4 point guard from Philadelphia is capable of, how easily he can get to the basket, the problems he creates for opposing guards with his quick hands and feet at both ends of the floor, and it is fun to watch.
“I feel like he is coming out of shell,” teammate JaKarr Sampson said.
Transition problems: St. John’s did a fine job forcing 13 turnovers, and committing only eight. Yet, Villanova won the battle of points off turnovers, 14-7, a surprising statistic. Lavin’s team is at its best on the break, when its bevy of athletes have room to maneuver. That wasn’t the case on Saturday, a rash of the temporary yips around the hoop turning made baskets into misses. One break, late in the game, stood out. On a 3-on-1 break, Phil Greene IV ended up taking a baseline jumpshot because of poor spacing, when the situation called for a layup.
Positive press conference: Maybe St. John’s was trying to grasp at any positives it could find in this rough stretch. Perhaps the Red Storm were harder on themselves in the locker room following the setback, or when they got back to campus Saturday evening.
But it did seem like the Johnnies weren’t overly upset after the loss, but pleased with their improvement after the ugly loss to Georgetown a week prior. Sampson said he wasn’t worried about the 0-3 league record, Greene said he was disappointed but felt they “stuck together and fought.” Lavin noted the group is beginning to understand what is needed for 40 minutes, as the effort and focus and determination was there to give them a chance to win.
The phrase moral victory never came up, it should be noted. Furthermore, the team’s most emotional players — D’Angelo Harrison, who was icing his bruised nose after taking a James Bell elbow to the face and Sir’Dominic Pointer — weren’t brought into the media room after the game. Rather, it was Greene and Sampson, players who are more composed and don’t wear their emotions as outwardly.
I’ve always found it tricky to say how a player or coach is feeling. We don’t know; how could we? There, however, is the issue of accepting defeat, as it becomes familiar, and as a result acceptable.
Blue skies ahead: There is light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s not an oncoming train. The narrative surrounding St. John’s could change very quickly. The schedule lightens up immensely over the next four games, beginning Tuesday against DePaul, followed by shorthanded Providence at the Garden and Dartmouth and Seton Hall at Carnesecca Arena.
St. John’s could go from 9-6 and 0-3 to 13-6 and 3-3 in a hurry, particularly if they can bottle up this latest performance and repeat it. Of course, if the Johnnies don’t take advantage of these winnable games to bolster their record in addition to their confidence, and with trips to Butler and Creighton after this slate, this season could also take an ugly turn.