“It’s our turn.”
That was Rick Pitino’s message to his players.
It’s their turn to defeat a powerful country.
It’s their turn to find a way to win a close game.
Now it’s the team’s turn to find a way to delay the big plays that can mean the difference between a frustrating loss and an exhilarating victory.
St. John’s has had close games in all three meetings with No. 1 Connecticut, No. 9 Marquette and No. 13 Creighton.
The close loss was decided by a total of six points.
If the ball had bounced in their direction at the end, the Johnnys could have easily won at least two games.
It wasn’t.
Saturday afternoon, in what is expected to be a packed and noisy Garden, is another chance to shake off the sour feeling of this recent unfavorable development and deliver a victory that takes us a long way towards lockdown. This is an opportunity to capture the General admission to the NCAA Tournament.
“Now it’s our turn. We continue to be on the other end of the spectrum. Now it’s our turn. We have to stand up and get rebounds to ensure the victory. No matter what it is. Even if it’s a play, make that important play,” point guard Danis Jenkins said on the eve of MSG’s showdown with the top-ranked Huskies.
“Whether it’s a shot, a rebound, a loose ball, whatever it is. We’re ready to step up and make plays, because even though we’ve been in close games so far, , because the result was the opposite.
St. John’s (13-8, 5-5 Big East) may need its best performance of the season to win. Big East leader UConn has won his ninth straight game.
They are characterized by an offense that ranks 3rd in efficiency and a defense that ranks 23rd in efficiency.
Two lottery picks are expected in center Donovan Clingan and guard Stephon Castle.
Pitino believes these Husky teams (19-2, 9-1) are better than last year’s version, which won a dominating national championship. Plus, this isn’t your typical home game.
Attendance is expected to be close to 50/50.
The Johnnies had a tough game against UW on Dec. 23 in Hartford, trailing by four points.
Clingan did not play in the game, but will be worth keeping an eye on. Still, St. John’s nearly defeated the Huskies despite shooting just 38.5 percent from the field.
“To beat a team like this, you have to play your best game of the season, because this team has no weaknesses,” Pitino said. “They have size, play great defense and have a great bench.”
Added center Joel Soriano: “We can’t afford one playoff run.” “Every possession was going to be important in that game. Turnovers and missed rebounds could be something that bothered us at the end of the game.
“We have to be a more connected group. We have to dive for loose balls, talk, scramble, be everywhere. We have to. [play] Like a pack of dogs. They are the best team in the country and there is no frills about that. ”
St. John’s has lost four of its past five games, two of which were by a combined two points against Creighton and Marquette.
Still the consensus tournament team according to nearly every bracketologist, but the losses are starting to pile up. With the return of Nahiem Alleyne (ankle) and Jordan Dingle (illness), the Johnnies should be healthy going into this game.
That’s important.
It will be an all-out effort Saturday, but St. John’s has similar hopes going forward.
“At this point in the season, this is where we have to be strong as a team,” Jenkins said. “This is the moment that really matters. Everything that happened at the beginning of the season doesn’t matter. All that matters is this February.
“This is where teams are built. This is where teams make their mark.”
