No. 22 St. John’s is hoping to keep its successful start to Big East conference play alive going into Friday’s game against No.3 UConn at Madison Square Garden.
The Red Storm are on an eight-game win streak with their latest victory coming against DePaul on Tuesday. But they missed a day of practice due to getting stuck in Chicago after defeating the Blue Devils, according to head coach Rick Pitino.
“We’re going to find out tomorrow if we can beat them,” Pitino said of their game against Dan Hurley’s Huskies. “This is a great group of guys that gives me everything I need. I don’t have a single complaint.”
St. John’s, overall, is 68-62 against UConn, sweeping their rivals last season. That was en route to capturing the Big East regular season and tournament titles.
But the Red Storm are not the same as last season, with five losses on the year by the time they take on their rivals. Last season, they lost just three games at this point.
The same goes for UConn, which has rejuvenated itself after falling short of winning its third consecutive National Championship. Hurley got his Huskies off to a promising start, going undefeated in conference play thus far with their only defeat coming against No. 4 Arizona in November.
“This is a league where anybody on any given night can win. We were down to Xavier and Seton Hall — the teams at the bottom can beat you any night,” Pitino added. “We’re not as dominant or a team as UConn.”
The trio of Solo Ball, Tarris Reed Jr., and Alex Karaban has helped the Huskies get off to this impressive start. Ball, for example, already has had three games in which he scored more than 20 points. His scoring has given his team the edge in wins over rivals Providence and Villanova.
“Solo Ball is playing with great confidence right now and so is Silas Demary. They’ve played great in the beginning of the year and they’re playing great now,” Pitino continued.
St. John’s, on the other hand, has relied upon Zuby Ejiofor. The Big East preseason Player of the Year has led them past tough competition, scoring in double figures in 12 of his last 13 games. His rebounding has helped the Red Storm control the backboards, as he paired 16 points with nine rebounds against DePaul.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Ejiofor said of getting to face UConn. “They’re great on offense and defense. It will take a full 40 minutes for everyone to play together. It will be a war out there.”
His matchup will be to stop Reed from reaching the basket on defense. Reed, the senior big man, has arisen as a potential rival to Ejiofor, considering he has been able to consistently score at will on any given occasion.
However, Ejiofor isn’t alone in the interior. Forwards Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell have been crucial in multiple late-game situations. Their combination of scoring and rebounding allows them to take over those duties if Ejiofor falls behind.
Michell, for example, has become a difference maker on both sides of the court for St. John’s. After Pitino started him in favor of sophomore Joson Sanon, Michell had four consecutive games in which he scored in double figures. He has been able to assist Ejiofor on the backboards, snagging at least seven rebounds in his last nine starts.
“We have to approach every game as if it’s the tournament. You lose, you go home. We hate losing, we don’t want to lose — some games are bigger than others,” Mitchell explained.
St. John’s will look to win its ninth straight game when they lace up against UConn in what could be their toughest game of the season. Will this be a turning point for the Red Storm, or will the Huskies add another victory to their resume?
