Rick Pitino’s performance was in the news last week after St. John’s defeated Seton Hall by 19 points and all but ended its postseason hopes.
He criticized the team, saying it was too unathletic to play defense.
Nevertheless, the Johnnies came into Wednesday’s game dropping 90 points against lowly Georgetown, but it was a little concerning that SJU held a 21-point lead at one point in a game they ultimately won by five points. It was the right thing to do.
We’ll learn the most about whether Pitino is no longer in the locker room on Sunday, when St. John’s returns to Madison Square Garden to take on No. 15 Creighton.
This is a perfect disappointment for Creighton.
The Jays have been playing their best basketball all season, but it was their recent win, a 19-point blowout win over No. 1 Connecticut, that made me root for the shaky Johnnies.
This was Creighton’s biggest win of the season, and they now head off to face the lowly Johnnies.
Pitino’s team is often overlooked, especially considering the growing frustrations.
Just over a month ago, these two teams met in Omaha, Nev.
The Johnnies nearly pulled off the upset despite shooting 18 percent from 2-point range and allowing 21 free throw attempts against Creighton, a team that rarely gets to the line.
A lot has changed since then, but the fact remains the same. These two teams went punch-and-punch in a rock fight, with Creighton scoring his one-point victory.
Yes, this Creighton offense is no joke. They rank 10th in the country in adjusted efficiency, making three shots on nearly half of all attempts.
Baylor-Shierman took a big step forward in his second year with the Jays, averaging a career-best 18.4 points per game.
They primarily run a pick-and-roll offense, with 7-foot-1 Ryan Kalkbrenner serving as a screen-setter, creating many catch-and-shoot 3s and midrange jumpers.
Surprisingly, this is not an offense that attacks the rim a high percentage (28%).
However, Creighton rarely creates second chances or free throws (350th in FTA/FGA). This is a plus for the Johnnys, who have struggled in both facets of the game.
Looking at this matchup, Creighton wants St. John’s to play where he’s most comfortable, which is midrange.
The Jays’ “Kalk Drop” deployment takes opponents off the perimeter and forces them to concentrate in the paint, where Kalkbrenner is waiting.
He sits low and protects the rim, forcing opponents to shoot mid-range jumpers (25 percent of his attempts against Creighton came from there).
Like Creighton, the Johnnys will use the pick-and-roll with Danis Jenkins as their primary ball handler.
They primarily attack from mid-range and are elite on the glass, ranking sixth in offensive rebounds (38.7 percent).
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The most important thing is how Joel Soriano plays.
He was a beast against Connecticut and Marquette (combined for eight points and nine rebounds), and the Johnnys often go his way.
He ranks in the top five in Big East play in both offensive and defensive rebounding and has a strong rim protector. When you’re playing well,
Soriano has also been a big contributor to SJU’s success in the pick-and-roll.
With the recent rise of RJ Lewis, I expect the Johnnys to keep this game close with the potential for a serious upset as long as they don’t play mean to Pitino.
No matter what’s going on, I believe Johnny’s is worth a look.
This was a perfect let-down spot for Creighton, fresh off a win against the No. 1 team, an emotional win and the pinnacle of their season. While the market and the public are riding popular short distance rides, it’s time to fade them out.
For what it’s worth, when playing at home against a ranked opponent with 4 or fewer underdogs (Kenpom projects St. John’s +3), AT’S has a record of 54 percent and an ROI of 4.5 percent. be.
