No. 25 St. John’s came from behind against Xavier on Saturday to give Rick Pitino career win No. 900. The Red Storm did not stop there as they cruised past Butler 92-70 on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Ian Jackson and Zuby Ejiofor led the team in scoring with 18 and 15 points, respectively. Dillon Mitchell held together the starting five, resulting in his third double-double in his last four outings.
“We got off to a rocky start,” Ejiofor said during a postgame press conference. “We never hung our heads; we stayed levelheaded, and we attacked each game. Playing team basketball, collaborating together, we’ve been able to turn our season around a little bit.”
Their combined effort gave St. John’s its seventh consecutive win in Big East conference play after losing to Providence on Jan. 3. With that, here are three takeaways from their win over Butler.
Ian Jackson has begun to thrive in his new role
When Jackson left the University of North Carolina to join St. John’s, there were some questions about how he would fit into Pitino’s system. At 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds, Jackson has the skill set of a shooting guard rather than a traditional point guard, who can rally the offense with their playmaking.
His first year in Queens has been full of ups and downs. For example, he had 14 points against Baylor in the Players Era Invitational but didn’t score a single point against Seton Hall. But that changed on Wednesday night.
Against the Bulldogs’ defense, Jackson put up eight points in the first half, with six coming from long range. He kept up the pace in the second half, where he scored another 10. He paired those 18 points with five rebounds and three assists.
Pitino might have found his next starting point guard in Jackson. That is, if the Bronx native can keep up the pace against tougher competition.
Dillon Mitchell is a difference maker
Coming off a loss to Providence, Pitino opted to bench guard Joson Sanon in favor of Mitchell. Mitchell was initially expected to be the sixth man for St. John’s, given his playmaking and scoring ability to rally the second unit. But Pitino brought him into the starting lineup, and it seems to be for good.
Mitchell recorded more than 10 points in his last four games, with the most recent coming against Butler. Against Seton Hall, he was the leading scorer with 17 points, while Ejiofor was stuck in foul trouble. But his scoring isn’t the only attribute he brings to the Red Storm.
His ability to snag rebounds at a consistent rate has been helpful to St. John’s, which ranks 83rd in the nation with 38.5 rebounds per game. Mitchell has elevated that area of the game, having more than 10 rebounds in three of his last four games. Not to mention, he excels at getting the ball to an open teammate with ease.
“We didn’t have a true point guard starting, so he evolved more than expected,” Pitino said of Mitchell’s performance. “You look at him tonight, he’s a tremendous player to coach and watch.”
St. John’s showed defensive improvement
What sets the St. John’s team of last season apart from this season is its defense. Last year’s Red Storm thrived on the backboards and by stopping their opponents from scoring.
However, this year’s Johnnies have been more about impressive offensive performances than anything else. As a result, they have encountered some defensive issues in rivalry games against Xavier and Providence.
So it might be a surprise that St. John’s held Butler to 29 first-half points. They guarded their opponents heavily from beyond the arc, leading Butler to miss nine three-pointers.
“We have a great coaching staff that spends tons of hours on film,” Ejiofor explained of improving their weaknesses. “It takes a full team commitment to be able to look ourselves in the eye and see what the issue is.”
Those problems, however, might not have left as the Red Storm gave up 41 second-half points to the Bulldogs. That can be a concern going forward when they face No. 2 UConn on Feb. 6, but before that, they will need to shift their focus to their next game at DePaul.
