St. John's scores upset of Villanova, earning favorable position on bubble in process

LJ Figueroa's 22 points and 12 rebounds gave St. John's lift it desperately needed, erasing 19-point deficit to defeat Villanova and give greater security to prospective NCAA Tournament berth. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

NEW YORK -- I know that you believe in me, that's all I ever need

No, no, nothing's gonna stop me, nothing will discourage me, oh no

Hey, baby, it's the only way out

Oh, little darlin', now come on -- what's it all about?

- Van Halen, "Top of the World"

Four years -- especially in this area, where success is as fleeting as a bowl of oatmeal or cup of coffee to start one's morning -- can feel like an eternity.

So it has gone for St. John's under Chris Mullin, having to endure a rebuild from the ground up, an eight-win season in year one followed by tangible progress in each of the past two seasons, but no cathartic victory to date this year, nothing like the week-long stretch in February that saw Duke, Villanova and Marquette go down in succession during what seemed like the beginning of a potentially special stretch drive for the Red Storm.

Until Sunday night, amid a sold-out Madison Square Garden, when St. John's -- having dug itself quite the ditch in the first half when it trailed by a 29-10 margin that suggested it would be run off the floor it has called home for decades -- saw a prayer answered on the way to the intermission, in the form of Justin Simon's three-quarter-court heave at the horn to end the opening stanza, sending the Red Storm into halftime down eleven, but with all the confidence in the world.

"We were screaming in the locker room the whole time," said Mustapha Heron, whose 19 points furthered a stretch of play that St. John's fans envisioned would be consistent once his hardship waiver was approved in the offseason. "We were talking to each other, and we told ourselves to have as much fun as possible on the defensive end."

And have fun, the Red Storm did. Even though Villanova went back up 14, the reigning national champion Wildcats' grip on the game soon fell by the wayside, managing only five field goals in the final 20 minutes and seeing the two-headed monster of Phil Booth and Fordham expatriate Eric Paschall locked down to a combined 4-for-23 showing. As Simon tightened his vise-like grip on Villanova's two stars, Heron and LJ Figueroa stepped up on a night where Shamorie Ponds missed all but two of his 14 field goal attempts, Figueroa's back-to-back threes giving St. John's the lead once -- and again for good on the second triple -- en route to a 71-65 upset of the 13th-ranked Wildcats that resonated all the way back to the corner of Union and Utopia.

"It's a two-half game," Heron said of how crucial the momentum swing at the end of the first half was for St. John's (19-7, 7-6 Big East) and its flip-a-switch mindset over the final period. "Even when their lead was 19, we just tried to keep pushing back, and it worked to our favor."

With the victory -- the first for St. John's on its home floor against Villanova since January of 2002, when Jay Wright was in his first season on the Main Line and the majority of both rosters in Sunday's game were not even enrolled in elementary school yet -- comes the obvious headline of an NCAA Tournament berth having been seemingly locked up provided the Red Storm can control its destiny through the remainder of the regular season. However, of greater importance as Providence and Seton Hall await over the next six days is the evolution of the team dynamic that fans of the program that bills itself as New York's college team has been clamoring for since its beloved native son replaced Steve Lavin four years ago, sparking renewed hope and eternal optimism that the promised land would again be visited.

"There's been natural progression, which is nice," Mullin assessed. "I tell people all the time: They're not only good guys. They work hard, they do the right things to win, and it doesn't always come out that way. As far as preparation and mindset, the togetherness is always there, and I think it showed tonight."

"That's not a game we win maybe even a month ago. These guys have continued to improve individually, but I think they feel better about themselves as a group. You see that on the defensive end first and foremost. I know they're trying to do the right thing, it just takes a little time to figure it out."

It has taken four years, but now the Red Storm is in a position to make it nice and sweet. Time will tell if St. John's can sink its teeth into that fine piece of real estate.