There was one statistic that stood out throughout the two Big East games.
Depending on how you look at it, the one number that could make you believe more in St. John's or doubt Rick Pitino's team.
It's a 3 point line.
Despite being outscored by 21 points from beyond the arc, the Johnnies are 2-0 in league play.
They demolished DePaul at home and came back from a 16-game deficit to win for the first time since 2017 against Providence. Even though he was 6-for-28 from distance in those games.
That could be a weakness throughout the season, leading to a slump, or improving in that area could make this group even better.
Overall, his 3-point shooting numbers aren't great. They are shooting 31.7 percent from deep, 269th in the country and second-to-last in the Big East.
The Johnnies are allowing 6.9 shots per game (tied for 262nd nationally) and are attempting 21.8 shots per game (235th).
St. John's top wings RJ Lewis and Aaron Scott are a combined 8-for-50 from deep over the past six games.
Sniper Brady Dunlap will undergo surgery on his left hand and will be out for at least another month.
The only two players in the rotation (besides Dunlap) who shoot better than 35 percent are Simeon Wilcher and Davon Smith, and Smith isn't a prolific shooter, hitting 2.81 triples per game. .
“This is a work in progress and we strive to get better,” coach Wilcher said Friday as St. John's prepares to finish its nonconference schedule Saturday against Delaware State at Carnesecca Arena. It continues,” he said. “We're spending a lot of time filming, so you'll see great progress throughout the season.”
Of course, the flip side of this is that they haven't stopped Johnny's yet.
In league play, they have 10 wins and 2 losses, and 2 wins and 0 losses.
Most predict right now that they're firmly in the NCAA Tournament, ranked a program-high No. 12 by KenPom.com.
They rank 12th in defensive efficiency and still have a top-30 offense despite having issues with long-range shooting.
His two-point shooting percentage is tied for 79th at 55.1 percent. It certainly helps that he ranks ninth in the country in offensive rebounding percentage of 38.1.
Forward Zuby Ejiofor leads the nation with 4.8 offensive rebounds per game.
“If we have a chance to get the ball back, even if it’s a second shot on a three, that might be our chance,” Wilcher said.
Furthermore, “When you get an offensive rebound and guard three people, [our 3-point shooting] You don't have to worry too much about that. ”
Still, as the competition improves, St. John's will need to shoot the ball better from beyond the arc.
Check out the latest Big East standings and St. Louis. John's statistics
Teams will be playing with them, making it difficult to score in the paint. Without 3-point shooting, it's more difficult to turn things around or build a lead.
Johnny's knows that.
I hope the ball starts dropping soon.
“This is an issue that we have to address and get better at,” Wilcher said. “That's very important, but I feel like that's not the only thing we need to do.” [have to] Please rely on me. The last game or the game before that may not be the night of the shoot. In some games, you might win 10 to 12. The next game might be 3 or 4, like before. [makes] Or whatever it is. As long as we protect those three guys, we feel like we're in a very good position.”
Officials said senior guard Cadary Richmond is recovering from a recurrence of patellar tendonitis in the game between St. John's and Providence eight days ago and is expected to play.
Richmond played just 22 minutes in the win.
