Post college basketball writer Zach Braziler answers questions from Post Plus subscribers about St. John's.
Will Davon Smith return to the starting lineup Saturday against Kansas State? He feels like an integral part of the team on both sides of the floor. Over the last 1¹/₂ games, the offense seems out of sync with him in the doghouse. There are too many turnovers.
— Russell Indemaio
My guess is that Smith will come off the bench against Kansas State. I agree with his values. The 6-foot Utah transfer is key for this team. His overall numbers (9.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists) don't accurately represent his importance. He sets the pace for St. John's, is a one-man fast break, regularly converts defensive rebounds into transition opportunities, and is an underrated shooter, especially from mid-range. I don't think it's a coincidence that St. John's' two worst performances of the season, a loss at Georgia and a shaky win over Harvard, coincided with Smith being stuck on the bench. In Smith's 208 minutes, he outscored opponents by 79 points, and in the remaining 82 minutes, he outscored opponents by 45 points. I think this message was received after Smith went to the bench against Georgia and acted out while sitting on the bench.
What should we make of the development of Brady Dunlap and Simeon Wilcher? Who could emerge as players later this year?
— Dylan Kitts
Admittedly, I expected a little more from Wilcher so far. Although he started well, his play has slowed recently, reaching double digits only once in the past six games. I think I still don't have confidence unless I fall one or two strokes. He needs to be more aggressive. To me, Dunlap is a product of this offense. When the ball is moving and a St. John's guard comes into the lane, he'll get a clean look and shoot a high percentage. This is no longer the case these days. The sophomore wing also has suffered a hip injury that required cortisone injections. As for the players who will be featured, look no further than Jaden Glover. Glover, a four-star recruit, had 11 points against Harvard. At 6-4, he has good size for a guard and is confident that the next shot will always come in. Like most freshmen, his defense needs work. But I can see his role expanding, especially if Wilcher or Dunlap don't provide the outside shooting this team needs.
After the failure of the Bahamas trip and the overall downturn in the Big East, how much smaller does their margin of error feel than it was a week ago?
— Keith Rowley
It has completely shrunk. I wrote recently that I was more concerned about the state of the league than St. John's, and this week's first NET rankings back up that claim. Johnny's opened in 42nd place — on its own, that's not a bad place to start. The problem is, this league only has three other top-50 teams in NET (the classification tool used by the NCAA tournament selection committee to evaluate teams): Marquette (7th) and UConn (38th). , only Butler (47th). The Big East's average NET ranking is 84th. Last year, we had three teams in the top 10 in the initial NET rankings. To date, St. John's has only five Quad 1 chances in league play and is 0-2 in those games. It's insignificant. I expect this number to go up. Creighton and Xavier are better at 99 and 103, respectively. A few big wins in this week's Big East vs. Big 12 battle would definitely solve the problem. Obviously, losing by a combined four points to Baylor (22 points) and Georgia (27 points) hurt. Again, even if St. John's had a strong league season, and the only team I believe is better than Rick Pitino's team is Marquette, it doesn't matter. I also think New Mexico State's win will end up being a high-quality win. The Lobos are 66th in the NET and came close to knocking off impressive Arizona State last week.
Why the call against Harvard University?
— James Deckinger
I won't say they called. I think the commitment to Harvard was substandard for several reasons. 1. Davon Smith did not play. 2. Aaron Scott was limited by foul trouble and was not a factor. 3. These guaranteed games can be difficult to get up and running. I always see major shows struggling in these contests. Xavier almost lost to South Carolina State on Sunday. I think his 3-point shooting was a particular concern in the past two games. St. John's was 8-for-46 from beyond the arc in a loss to Georgia and a win over Harvard. If the ball doesn't go in, it gives a bad impression. Expect to see a much different St. John's team Saturday against Kansas State.
