Louisville coach Rick Pitino said the Big East could be the best college basketball conference ever. Ever.
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said he’s never seen anything like it. Ever.
Pitt’s Jamie Dixon, Georgetown’s John Thompson III and Villanova’s Jay Wright are eager to sign the petition that states: Based on depth, talent, experience and coaching, there has never, ever been anything like the league Mike Tranghese expanded.
So where does that leave teams such as St. John’s, which was picked 14th in a preseason vote by the league coaches?
“It means we’ve got to protect our home court and we have to steal a couple of games on the road,” said Red Storm coach Norm Roberts. “It means we have to understand that it doesn’t matter who you’re playing because every night is going to be a battle – every night.”
The league battles begin tonight for St. John’s (9-3) when it opens league play at Providence (8-4), which was picked 10th in the preseason poll. Which means this is one of those games the Red Storm have to steal.
One problem: The poll was taken before the Red Storm lost Anthony Mason Jr. for the season, before point guard Malik Boothe was lost for at least two weeks with torn ligaments in his left thumb and before power forward Justin Burrell suffered three hairline fractures in his face.
“They’re a different team and it’s hard to get a handle on them with their youth,” new Friars coach Keno Davis told reporters in Providence. “With this long break, we’ve had a few extra days to prepare for St. John’s. This is a little unique.”
The Friars are trying to find an identity under Davis, who replaced Tim Welsh. Under Welsh the Friars had one of the most impressive offenses schemes in the Big East.
Providence is fifth in the league in scoring (80.2) but last in scoring defense (71.6). St. John’s is the polar opposite, holding teams to 62 points, but scoring only 72.
The league already has proven to be as tough as advertised. Georgetown went to Connecticut, the nation’s No.2-ranked team, and pulled a 74-63 upset. Winning on the road can be done. The question is: Can St. John’s do it?