00:00St. John's has a chance to take the Big East regular season title tonight
00:04against Seton Hall, the Johnnies, and UConn.
00:07Well, they're tied at the top of the Big East standings.
00:09It's as easy as this.
00:11They win, UConn loses, they're the regular season champs.
00:15But if they both win, they're going to share a title like we share Kit Kat bars.
00:19So let's talk Red Storm basketball with Dexter Henry,
00:23host of New York Got Game, and, of course, I am the Red Storm.
00:27Dex, man, appreciate you hopping on.
00:29You know, I got my Red on, too, repping the Johnnies.
00:32But I'm also a Shaheen Holloway fan, so, you know, there's that balance.
00:36Let's get straight into this, man, because the Johnnies are hot.
00:39They've won 15 of the last 16 going into this regular season closer
00:43against Seton Hall, who they need this win to keep their tournament hopes alive.
00:49But for St. John's, what do you think has been the biggest factor
00:54behind this late season surge that we've seen?
00:57And how dangerous has that momentum made them heading into the Big East Tournament?
01:04Yeah.
01:04No, they've had a lot of momentum, like you said, winning 15 in their last 16 games.
01:08Brandon, you know, the thing behind their late season surge
01:11and what's really turned their season around is defense.
01:13It's really that.
01:15They've just got after it on the defensive end.
01:17They, you know, they have so much size in their front court.
01:20It's the play of their front court offensively that has carried them.
01:22You could talk about Zuby Edger for it, but they really have picked it up on defense.
01:26And there's been games we've seen from St. John's.
01:28We just saw it the other night with them against Georgetown.
01:31They did not play particularly well for most of that game at all whatsoever.
01:35They didn't shoot the ball well, but they defended.
01:38They defended their behinds off, and they were able to stay in that game and pull it out.
01:42You saw the same thing against Xavier, which has been a tough matchup for them
01:45a couple times this year, but for me, it's really defense with this team.
01:48They've defended well.
01:49You can still have some questions with them at certain positions,
01:52like the guard positions, although Dylan Darling has been a revelation for them this year.
01:57But I just think it's really been defense and their use of size
02:00is how big their front court is right now
02:02and how they're able to have that advantage over most teams that they face every night.
02:07But it really starts with defense for me.
02:09We talk about the Johnnies and their turnaround this season.
02:12All right.
02:12Defense wins championships, whether it's a regular season championship
02:16or a Big East tournament championship.
02:19But is that defense going to be enough to win them a national championship?
02:22Plus, if you add the fact that people still question if St. John's has enough star power
02:28on this team compared to other national contenders out there.
02:32So my question to you, do you think Rick Pitino's squad has enough, I guess,
02:38balance and depth on this roster to carry them?
02:40Or do you think eventually they're going to need a Zuby or another superstar on this team
02:47to take over because R.J. Lewis Jr. couldn't do that in the national tournament last season we saw?
02:53Yeah.
02:53Listen, I think Zuby's that good.
02:56I think he's that good.
02:57Well, I mean, I think he's a good guy.
02:59I think he's got.
03:00Can he score?
03:01Yeah.
03:01I think he he is one of the best frontcourt players in college basketball.
03:05There's no doubt about that.
03:06He's going to win Big East player of the year next week.
03:09It's going to happen.
03:11He needs help, though.
03:12I don't think he's a I could do it by myself guy.
03:14And it's very rare we even see that in college basketball.
03:17You know, we go back to Carmelo Anthony and the great run he had with Syracuse back in 2003.
03:23You need some help here in college basketball.
03:25He's just too talented now.
03:26And I think he's got other guys on the frontcourt in Dylan Mitchell and Bryce Hopkins that can help him
03:33there.
03:34But my concern with St. John's as I look towards the tournament is you are here, Brandon.
03:39It is about their guard play.
03:42What are they going to get from their guards?
03:44And how are those guards going to defend other elite guards in the national scene?
03:50We saw them play Alabama during their non-conference portion schedules, struggle with the speed of their guards.
03:55How are they going to handle that?
03:57That's the key for me.
03:58If St. John's gets good guard play, if they have guys, Oziah Sellers, Joson Sanon, who had a really good
04:06game the other night, Ian Jackson, if those guys come along and Dylan Darling has been steady at point guard.
04:12But if those guys come along and they're able to shoot the ball well from the outside, combined with what
04:17you have in the frontcourt, combined with one of the best bigs in the country in Zubi Ejafor, I think
04:23you can be fine.
04:24But the question is, will those other guys come along, particularly on the wings and the guard position?
04:30That is the key for me with St. John's when it comes to winning.
04:34Big East tournament, yes.
04:35But when it comes to you're talking about the national scene, the national tournament in March Madness, I think it's
04:40going to come down to guard play for St. John's.
04:42They get good guard play.
04:43I think they can play with anybody.
04:44If they don't, they could definitely lose.
04:46Yeah, because what do you have?
04:48What, less than 10 games remaining on your season, period?
04:51Even, you know, like you got one game tonight, then you have, what, two, three in the Big East tournament,
04:57and then you'll have five to win the national championship.
05:01Consistent guard play, because I'm with you, man.
05:03Like, I don't remember a forward, you know, rather a stretch forward or whatever Zubi is.
05:09I don't remember a forward kind of being a face of a team, a face of a franchise to win
05:13a national championship.
05:14You'll see some bigger guys do it, but you're right that in more modern times, I mean, you had Zach
05:20Eady a big a couple years ago, you know, push Purdue there.
05:25You know, Donovan Klingon was one of the best players on UConn a couple years ago that won a title.
05:30But to that point.
05:31They also had Stephon Castle.
05:32Yeah, right.
05:33He had Stephon Castle with him.
05:34He had a really strong guard with him.
05:37So to that point, I think you need the balance of both.
05:40Zubi's a guy who can get his boards.
05:41He's going to be as good as â look, he's a matcher problem against any big that you'll see in
05:46America.
05:46There's very few teams that can have a good answer for him, but he needs some help there with the
05:51guards on this team if St.
05:52John's is going to go deep in the tournament.
05:54All right.
05:55They're at the Rock tonight.
05:56Prudential Center, 9 p.m. game.
05:599 p.m. on a Friday.
06:00They're trying to make â
06:00I don't like that anymore, Brandon.
06:02I don't like that anymore.
06:03It's too late.
06:03What?
06:04A St. John's versus Seton Hall matchup like the club, man.
06:07Like, I'm too old for a 9 p.m.
06:09This isn't a West Coast game, but Seton Hall is going to throw everything that they can at them.
06:14You know, with St. John's being ranked, what, 16th?
06:17Seton Hall needs this win to keep their tournament hopes alive.
06:20So it's still going to be a good game.
06:21But from the St. John's standpoint, whether they, you know, win and they take the Big East tournament title,
06:29regular season title outright or they share it, what grade would you give the Johnnies for this regular season and
06:37why?
06:37Because remember, they were a top-five team coming into the preseason, and now they're all, what, double-digit, ranked
06:4416th in the country team.
06:46Look, which is fine.
06:48The rankings, some fans didn't get that.
06:50They were top-five coming into the season.
06:52They got off to that shaky start, 7-4.
06:54Right, Brandon, they had that shaky start, and everybody was like, ah, man, is this St. John's team going to
07:00be as good as last year?
07:01But you have to remember, you know, they only returned one starter in Zuby Ejiofor.
07:05They had seven transfers coming into the season.
07:09They had that 7-4 start, and then they turned things around.
07:13They had that loss to Providence early in Big East play, and then we saw them reel off 13 straight
07:17wins, and now they're at 15 out of 16.
07:20If they win tonight, I think that solidifies them in the A range, and I would say I'll give them
07:28an A- because how they started and how they recovered and how dominant they've been in Big East play,
07:33particularly on the road, is what's very impressive to me.
07:36They found ways to win games even when they haven't played their best.
07:39They've done well.
07:40Well, if they lose tonight, I would probably drop that down to a B- because it would be a
07:45little bit disappointing.
07:46You had a chance for at least a share of the regular season title, and you didn't get it.
07:51But if they share the regular season title or win it outright, I'm going to go with an A-
07:55of a season here.
07:57Look, they do that.
07:58The next rankings come out for the Big East tournament.
08:00They'll probably maybe be in the top 12 to 14 range.
08:05They win the Big East tournament.
08:06If they go and do that, that might bump them back in the top 10.
08:09So there's a world in which they can be back in the top 10 of rankings by the time we
08:13get to the tournament.
08:15Rankings be damned.
08:16I think it's been a really good season for St. John's when you consider all the change they had, the
08:21seven transfers.
08:22Zuby's the only starter who returns, and they have a shot tonight to, you know, have a share of the
08:27Big East title.
08:29Yeah, I think it's huge.
08:30But I do think you made a good point, though, Brandon.
08:33Seton Hall's not going to roll over here.
08:35Shaheen Holloway is a damn good coach.
08:38He's going to get the most of his guys.
08:40He knows if they can add to their resume.
08:42And Seton Hall had a good start to season.
08:44They were ranked in the top 25 at one point before St. John's played them the first time this season.
08:48He knows if they can get a win over St. John's, it would be a huge boost to their resume
08:52in a top-heavy Big East this year.
08:54So they're going to come out at the Rock, and they are going to be trying to knock St. John's
08:59off.
08:59They're going to give them everything they got.
09:01They're going to want to try to spoil a little bit of the championship from St. John's,
09:04and they're going to want to try to boost their resume.
09:06They still have some work to do in the Big East tournament, but it would help them.
09:09So this isn't going to be easy for St. John's, but they've got to be focused on the goal,
09:14and that's trying to get at least a share of the Big East title.
09:18All right.
09:19Dexter, Henry, appreciate you hopping on with us, my man.
09:21Anytime, man.
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