You know what’s the first sign that you’re having a really good day in March?
this is:
It wasn’t until 10 minutes into the postgame press conference that the topic of the NCAA Tournament came up with Rick Pitino, RJ Lewis and Joel Soriano. The three were tasked with speaking on behalf of St. John’s after the Johnnies routed Seton Hall. 1972, Big East Tournament quarterfinals.
The Power 6 Tournament is a four-game day littered with testimonies and petitions, coaches insisting their team is a tournament team, and players vowing they can do some serious damage if they just show up. What these coaches and players have in common is that they don’t think about anything else. Having lost, he immediately throws himself at the mercy of the selection committee.
Johnny’s is still eyeing the immediate prize.
“We’re trying to win the Big East Tournament,” Pitino said.
Presumably, those stump speeches will be released the Friday night after the semifinals, after St. John’s University takes on No. 2 University of Connecticut. The University of Connecticut was good enough to give Xavier a 10-0 lead in Thursday’s game and still win by 27 points. Or, if this late-season surge has any real momentum, they might not be needed at all.
“We were trapped,” Soriano said. His 14 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists were one of the best games of his career in an absolutely crucial moment. “Right now, we’re playing at Madison Square Garden on Friday night.”
It seems like a simple concept, but it’s been 24 years since the Johnnys made it to the Big East semifinals on Friday night. Of all the natural examples this program has wandered into over the past few decades, that one is the most notable. Because this garden is their de facto home base.
Twenty-four years ago, they not only played on Friday, but continued to compete on Saturday, defeating UW in their most recent conference championship. These Huskies were also defending national champions.
“It’s a lucky draw,” Pitino said with a laugh about Friday’s challenge. “Simple game”
25 days earlier, Seton Hall had erased a huge lead against St. John’s on Long Island and picked up its second win over the Johnnies, but on that day Pitino blew a gasket, leaving basically every player slightly below Ollie. That was the day I criticized him for his inferior skills. He comes from Hickory High School and lacks Ollie’s clutch gene. That’s when the coach sensed that some of the St. John’s players were determined to accomplish all of their goals for the season.
Pitino offered his players another scenario.
“Seven games,” he said. “You have to play seven elimination games.”
Seton Hall was No. 6 on Thursday afternoon and it was an up-tempo gem, fast-paced, with the defense picking up deflections and the offense going after them on the break.
You can’t talk about these things clearly unless you’re ordering pizza and sitting in the same room with the rest of the staff on the selection committee. But certainly, unless about 15 different weird things happen between now and Sunday, it feels like this win locks in one of the 68 slots in the lottery. Elimination Game No. 7 may actually be a house money game.
Before the game, Seton Hall was the consensus “to play” team and St. John’s was the near consensus “to make it to the final four” team, so it made sense to swap seed lines on Thursday, which would mean the Johnnies Dayton in a play-in game, which means there’s even a chance it could be avoided.
The partisan portion of the sold-out crowd certainly thought so. As the final hour approached, they shouted, “Let’s go, Johnny!” They chanted, “We are…ST.” John! ” And at the end they tried to rally “NCAA!” I also chant.
“It’s really surreal to be here today,” Lewis said. He scored 18 points and had nine boards off the bench, but he seems to be getting better and better not just in games, but in halves.
“This tournament is amazing. All the great players who have played every game here so far give us a different kind of feeling,” Soriano said. [pointing at Pitino] I received instruction here. ”
They will put a crack at the champions on Friday, but if they can do it, it will turn this tournament and the city of basketball upside down. If I do not? Then you can start listing your credentials. This should be fine. It had to be perfect for 25 days. And it was perfect for 25 days. Now they go to icing.
