Game 16: St. John's University (10-6)
Jan. 9, 6:30 pm (EST)
New York, NY
Madison Square Garden (19,786)
Tickets? Yes
Media:
TV: Fox Sports 1
GU Radio: WDCH-99.1
SJU Radio: WMCA-570
Game Notes: Georgetown
Game Notes: St. john's
About the Redmen:
Location: New York, NY
Enrollment: 21,000
Conference: Big East
2016-17 Record: 14-18
Record vs. Georgetown: 57-51
Meet The Coach:
Chris Mullin
(St. John's '85)
3rd season, 32-48
Career: Same
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Expected Starters |
Name |
Ht. |
Pts. |
Justin Simon |
6-5 |
5.4 |
Shamorie Ponds |
6-1 |
19.2 |
Bashir Ahmed |
6-7 |
12.9 |
Marvin Clark |
6-7 |
11.4 |
Tariq Owens |
6-11 |
8.1 |
|
Team Stats: |
Points/Game: |
73.6 |
Points Allowed: |
68.2 |
FG Shooting: |
42.4 |
FG Defense |
40.5 |
3FG Shooting: |
32.7 |
FT Shooting: |
74.0 |
Rebounds/Game |
35.6 |
Assists/Game |
12.9 |
Turnovers/Game |
11.9 |
|
Last 5 Games (1-4) |
12/20: SJ 77, St. Joseph's 73
12/28: Providence 94, SJ 72
12/31: Seton Hall 75, SJ 70
01/03: Creighton 78, SJ 71
01/06: DePaul 91, SJ 74
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Game Notes
- Tonight's 109th meeting between the schools is the longest series active among either program, dating back to 1909.
- St. John's won seven of the last 10 in the series played at the Garden.
- A loss by the Redmen would mark to program's 1000th loss all time. The Redmen are currently 1817-999 (.645).
- Georgetown is 10-10 all-time in games played on Jan. 9. In 2017, the two teams met on this date, with the Hoyas earning a 83-55 win at Verizon Center.
Preview
Tuesday's nostalgia tour on Fox Sports 1 may be good for ratings, but the immediate need for Georgetown and St. John's is apparent--these are two teams in need of a win.
In the 11 days until these teams meet again on Jan. 20, Georgetown has games with Seton Hall and Villanova, teams where the Hoyas will be distinct underdogs. St. John's doesn't have it any easier, with Villanova and Xavier. The prospect of a 1-6 Georgetown or an 0-7 St. John's team on Jan. 20 demands that the outcome of Tuesday's game is a must-win in a run where wins will be tough to come by thereafter.
Saturday's 91-74 loss to DePaul, much like Georgetown's blowout loss to Creighton, are outliers. Both teams figure to make this a close game.
An ongoing recovery to guard Marcus Lovett has put added pressure on a three guard lineup to produce for the Redmen. St. John' is getting good efforts from redshirt sophomore Justin Simon, whose shooting has been inconsistent in Big East play but who is a solid rebounder, including a 15 point, 10 rebound effort versus Seton Hall despite being only 6-5. Scoring continues to come from the backcourt pair of Shamorie Ponds and Bashir Ahmed, but each has lacked the consistency as befits an 0-4 Big East team. Ponds is just 4 for 23 from three point range in Big East play and 19 for 53 overall. St. John's needs a big effort from Ponds, and not just in shooting attempts, with 24 against DePaul.
More consistent play from Bashir Ahmed has been invaluable in the loss of Lovett and Ponds' up and down ways. Ahmed has back to back 21 point games versus Creighton and DePaul, and represents the kind of guard play that has hurt the Hoyas all season. Ahmed hasn't taken many threes this year but is capable of damage, but is struggling at the foul line with a 57.4 percent average.
Up front, the Redmen rely on 6-7 Michigan State transfer Martin Clark, with four straight games in double figures, but someone who needs a better effort on rebounding to take pressure off 6-11 Tariq Owens, who has just nine rebounds in his last two games after 14 versus Seton Hall. The Redmen were outrebounded 46-30 by an underwhelming DePaul front line Saturday, and cannot afford a repeat effort Tuesday.
Depth continues to hurt the Redmen. Between injuries and redshirts, St. John's does not figure to go deep on its bench, with veteran forward Amar Alibegovic and freshman Bryan Trimble likely to see the most time on the court. As such, St. John's must avoid early foul trouble as Georgetown holds a distinct advantage on depth.
Tempo is vital in this effort. Georgetown will excel with an up and down game and getting consistent outside shooting from Marcus Derrickson and Jamarko Pickett, while St. John's needs to force turnovers. The Redmen are a better team in transition given Georgetown's propensity for turnovers, but don't want to get into a track meet, given its lack of depth.
Keys to the game:
1. Jessie Govan: The junior center is due for a big game against St. John's in the middle, but must avoid early fouls.
2. Bashir Ahmed: Ahmed represents a tough defensive assignment for Georgetown's guards, who have been ineffective throughout conference play.
3. Matchup defenses: The ability of St. John's to lay in waiting on defense needs to be a concern for Georgetown, whose passing is suspect. Turnovers remain a problem, but passing into the corners doesn't help, either. Good spacing in offensive sets provides opportunities for Georgetown that can negate St. John's, particularly when Govan can establish low-post presence.
Despite its 0-4 mark, St. John's enters the game as the favorite. For its part, Georgetown needs a big game from Govan and Derrickson up front, and better passing on the perimeter, to earn the win.