SO TELL ME ABOUT ST JOHN'S

[triaddukefan]

Havent seen them play except for the last part of their Sunday game vs Creighton. I see that the lady previewing the Fresno Region picked them to win saturday. So tell me what to expect.... Can Duke beat them ??

 

[alexrgct]

Duke playing its A game will not lose to St John's. Duke playing its B game could lose to SJU.

SJU is fast, tough, and they don't give up. They're audacious- that's the main trait I took away from watching them this year. I don't think UConn was ready for that audacity the first time they played them. The Johnnies had a game plan, and they stuck to it. The second time around, UConn was as pissed and intense as they'd been in a while and just eviscerated them.

SJU has no answer whatsoever for Elizabeth Williams, but if their guards have a good game, they could give Chelsea Gray problems.

Duke is a lot more talented than SJU and a lot less tough. That's why I say A game vs A game, Duke wins this. But if SJU takes Duke out of its A game, it could be a grind.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Alex has covered the key points. To reinforce them or add a little:

They are very quick.

They are physically tough.

They are mentally tough.

They are well coached.

After beating UConn, they are confident.

If you are mentally prepared, you can deal with them. It's a little like playing against Rutgers or Georgetown on their good nights. It will not be a fun game. It will be a grind. Just think of it as a root canal.

When they beat us, we shot well. But they forced TOs and got offensive rebounds. I think they had 14 more FG attempts than we did in a 1-point game.

 

[triaddukefan]

Do they have an interior presence at all? Either offensively or defensively? Duke struggles with guard oriented teams...... and our 3 point defense has been troublesome all year. Are they a type to shoot a lot of 3's.. or are they more of a penetrating type team? What type of size do they have?

 

[alexrgct]

Do they have an interior presence at all? Either offensively or defensively? Duke struggles with guard oriented teams...... and our 3 point defense has been troublesome all year. Are they a type to shoot a lot of 3's.. or are they more of a penetrating type team? What type of size do they have?

They do a lot more penetrating than they do three point shooting. Although a three point shot is what took down UConn the first time, it's not a big part of their game.

They have decent size insomuch as three of their starters are >6'0", but they have no one >6'2". And no real big bodies, other than maybe Nwachuku.

 

[VAUConnFan]

Alex and Milford have given you as good a fan scouting report as one is going to get.
I honestly believe that the St. John's team that lost to Florida State two years ago was a better team; Better inside out balance.
If St. John's is able to play a Big East style game, they will win.

 

[HuskyNan]

SJU is very physical but in a clean way. The guards are tough, as others have said, and confident. I also think Coach Kim Barnes-Arico is one of the best in the Big East.

 

[Bestiarius]

SJU is very physical but in a clean way. I also think Coach Kim Barnes-Arico is one of the best in the Big East.

And I notice that she always has visiting recruits on the court with her after every game.

 

[triaddukefan]

Sounds like a good matchup.... might be the best game of the round of 16

 

[UConnCat]

Duke's defenders will have a tough time keeping the SJU players in front of them. I expect Duke to play a lot of its match-up zone and force SJU to hit perimeter shots which as alex mentioned is not a strength. Defensively, SJU has the type of quickness that could cause Duke some problems on the offensive end, particularly Liston who struggles against quicker defenders. I think it should be a terrific game it's one I'm looking forward to watching.

 

[justML]

I have no doubt Duke will win.

I also had no doubt that we would beat them this year.

No doubt about it . . . they can surprise you!

 

[DaddyChoc]

that #35 is really really good

 

[VAUConnFan]

SJU is very physical but in a clean way. The guards are tough, as others have said, and confident. I also think Coach Kim Barnes-Arico is one of the best in the Big East.

The "dirty" teams would be which ones exactly?

 

[Icebear]

The "dirty" teams would be which ones exactly?

The ones that don't shower.

 

[HuskyNan]

The "dirty" teams would be which ones exactly?

Did I mention anything about dirty teams? Don't think so. I was just remarking that SJU would be physical but there would be no excess pushing, grabbing or extracurriculars away from the play. It was NOT a shot at any other teams.

 

[UcMiami]

But ... SJU is not Louisville or WV or GT - they play 'physical' in the way Uconn plays physical, they fight for position, they try to move players off their spot defensively, but as someone already said, not a lot of grabbing or bumping/whacking players on cuts.
I think they are more balanced than a Rutgers as they can play good offense and good defense - will not lead the nation in either, but do not ignore one for the other.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Sometimes the season's stats can shed some more light on the team, but the previous summaries pretty much tell the story for the Red Storm. The stats aren't that high in most categories, but the are a more defensive oriented team with their #41 ranking, and don't foul or turn the ball over much, but they don't get assists or score very well and are about even on rebounds with their opponents. They are near dead last in 3-pt FGs per game, and only one player shoots them effectively, but has taken only 14 all year in a very small sample. Duke shouldn't need to worry about perimeter shots.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Sometimes the season's stats can shed some more light on the team, but the previous summaries pretty much tell the story for the Red Storm. The stats aren't that high in most categories, but the are a more defensive oriented team with their #41 ranking, and don't foul or turn the ball over much, but they don't get assists or score very well and are about even on rebounds with their opponents. They are near dead last in 3-pt FGs per game, and only one player shoots them effectively, but has taken only 14 all year in a very small sample. Duke shouldn't need to worry about perimeter shots.

Unless they have a 2-point lead with 10 seconds to play.