CINCINNATI — Tuesday night's 82-72 win over Xavier marked the halfway point of St. John's season. This year has been an interesting year, to say the least.
St. John's is 13-3 overall and 4-1 in Big East play and in position to advance to the NCAA Tournament main draw for the first time in 10 years.
Two buzzer-beaters, a suspension, the emergence of a star player and preseason concerns became obvious problems before legendary manager Lou Carnesecca died at age 99.
The Post covers Johnny's 16 games as follows:
MVP
Zuby Ejiofor is St. John's best and most consistent player.
The affable 6-foot-9 forward is a top candidate for Big East Most Improved Player.
He is a two-way force, the backbone of St. John's No. 9 defense, and the No. 2 offensive rebounder in the nation with 4.4 rebounds per game.
The tri-captain with a nonstop motor had his biggest moment of the season to this point, hitting a baby jumper at the horn to give the Red Storm their first win in Providence since 2017.
He more than doubled his scoring output from a year ago, averaging 14.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.1 steals.
memorable moments
A day after Ejiofor suffered a heartbreaking loss to Baylor, missing two free throws in the final seconds of overtime and ultimately costing St. John's, Red Storm fans in the Bahamas called him “Zooby, Zuby.” chants. ” and lift him up.
The Johnnies defeated Virginia by 25 points.
A few weeks later, Ejiofor allowed fans to celebrate in the first game after Carnesecca's death, scoring 28 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in an emotional rout of Kansas State.
moment of forgetting
St. John's was hit near the horn by Jeremy Roach's 3-pointer in the Bahamas, a shot that wouldn't have counted if it had started on time.
It was a fist-pumping loss to a top-20 team that would have had a huge impact on the Johnnys' resume.
It didn't feel like a defeat in November.
biggest disappointment
This is easy. 3 point shot. That's what's holding this team back.
St. John's made just nine 3-pointers in its first four league games, going 1-of-21 at home on Saturday in an ugly win over Butler.
As a team, the Johnnies are shooting 30.9 percent from beyond the arc, which ranks 297th in the nation.
A left hand injury in top shooter Brady Dunlap that required surgery in December hasn't helped, and with RJ Lewis and Aaron Scott's recent shooting slumps, it's hard to protect this team in the half court. It got easier.
Players to watch in the second half
The arrival of Cadary Richmond from Seton Hall would give St. John's a top 25 player in the country.
That player hasn't established himself yet.
There were only glimpses of Richmond making a difference, such as in the overtime loss to Baylor and the late-game play in the win over Butler.
He has struggled mightily, shooting 44 percent from the free-throw line, but hasn't been a consistent impact, averaging 10.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.
Check out the latest Big East standings and St. Louis. John's statistics
But he's also traditionally been a slow starter and came to life against Butler when Johnny desperately needed him.
St. John's will need him at his best in February, when the schedule will be tough.
outlook
This feels like a tournament team, and one that could potentially be dangerous if a shootout were to occur.
St. John's is five points away from being undefeated.
It's an elite defensive team, a high-level offensive rebounding team, and an especially strong unit in transition.
Last year's team significantly improved its weaknesses from November to March.
If this group can do the same, Johnny's fans will be very happy.
Unlike a year ago, there are no major losses weighing on us.
And there's reason to believe Rick Pitino will captivate players by March, just like he did last winter.
