The start was fun.
Optical systems have a good national ranking.
The first three 20-point wins of the season are a feat St. John's hasn't accomplished since 1983-1984, and should not be ignored regardless of the opponent's ability.
But now we're starting to learn about Rick Pitino's Johnny's.
He will start Sunday's game against New Mexico and Pitino's son Richard at the Garden, followed by three games in four days in the Bahamas, with a matchup against No. 12 Baylor most notable, but St. John's You will be tested.
You will be forced into it.
It will be challenged.
“I think people are going to learn that we can play with anybody and we can go out and compete and look good doing that,” sophomore guard Simeon Wilcher said Friday. he said. “What we understand about each other is how we stay together through the ups and downs. Not every game is going to be perfect and great. What's important is how we stay together when things don't go our way. It is compatible.
“I don't mean to disrespect the teams we've played before, but it's definitely a big improvement,” he added.
St. John's certainly looks more poised for a step up in the competition than it did this time last year.
Keep in mind, they only played one tune-up game before struggling at Michigan's Garden and ended up being one of the most disappointing teams in the nation.
From there, Johnny was fortunate to go 2-1 at the Charleston Classic, beating North Texas, losing to Dayton, and defeating Utah.
The competition will be much better this year.
New Mexico State (3-0) is coming off an impressive victory over then-No. 1 Mexico on neutral ground. 22 UCLA retained two key players from its NCAA Tournament team a year ago in dynamic guard Donovan Dent and physical forward Nellie Jr. Joseph, who played under Pitino for two seasons at Iona College. I was reinstated.
Baylor is a favorite as a Final Four contender, despite suffering a blowout loss to No. 4 Gonzaga in the season opener.
If St. John's defeats the Bears, it will likely play No. 11 Tennessee the next night.
The trip ends with a matchup against Georgia, led by impressive five-star freshman forward Asa Newell and a deep backcourt.
“I'll be transparent: I don't know how good we are. It's a question mark at this point,” Pitino said. “You worked on two exhibitions and three exhibitions?” [regular-season games]?Yes, there is. But we've never seen competition like the one we're facing. [the next four games]”
Pitino's second St. John's team seems more prepared for this stretch than his first.
That group was basically a completely new group.
Four core players return in this game: Wiltcher, Zubie Ejiofor, RJ Lewis, and Brady Dunlap.
They have been great defensively, ranking 14th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Opponents Fordham, Quinnipiac and Wagner are averaging 59.3 points on 34.8 percent shooting from the field and committing 16.3 turnovers per game.
The offense is more of a work in progress, which isn't surprising given that the Johnnys' primary ball handlers, Kadary Richmond and Davon Smith, are rookies.
Richmond, an All-American candidate who spent the past three seasons at rival Seton Hall, has yet to take command of the offense.
After attempting just seven shots in the past two games, he had seven assists in the win over Wagner and played a pivotal role in the 26-3 run that turned the game around in the second half. .
“I want Kaderly to pick himself up and shoot more, because I don't think there's really a lot of guys that can be in front of him in college,” Wilcher said. “He's just figuring it out. It's still early in the season. There's only three games left. Look, you're going to see something completely different next game. [player]”
Really, this feels like the beginning of the season for St. John's.
Their 3-0 record and 22nd national ranking look good, but there are still many mysteries surrounding this team.
You can learn a lot only from practice and by defeating overwhelming opponents.
The situation will change from Sunday.
“The next few games are very important for us,” Wilcher said. “They're going to set the tone for the rest of the season.”
A portion of the proceeds from the St. John's vs. New Mexico game will be donated to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
This matchup is being called the “NYC Hoops for Heroes Classic.”
