VILLANOVA, Pa. — In the blink of an eye, this college basketball season is entering February and if the season ended today, St. John’s would be on the outside looking in. That is not what fans were expecting, nor the team, but right now, that is the harsh reality.
The Red Storm fell to Villanova Saturday at a sold out Finneran Pavilion, 73-62, in a game whose final score masked the actual disparity between the two programs. St. John’s built a quick 10-4 advantage in the first half, but after a timeout and lineup change that saw head coach Mike Anderson go to a full bench rotation, the game soon turned on its head and Villanova did not look back from there. A 6-0 Wildcat run immediately followed, and St. John’s was outscored for the rest of the half by a commanding 36-16 margin. Long-distance shot after long-distance shot fell for Villanova as it barraged the Red Storm for a 9-of-12 clip from 3- point range in the first half. St. John’s (11-8, 3-5 Big East) had no answers, offensively or defensively.
The offensive woes continued for Julian Champagnie as he endured his third straight game failing to score double-digit points, going 4-of-12 from the field and 0-for-4 from beyond the arc.
“He’s getting opportunities, he just has to knock them down,” Anderson said of his all-conference superstar. “I have all the faith in him.”
It was not just Champgnie who had a night to forget, as Posh Alexander — who shut down Collin Gillespie in St. John’s upset of Villanova last season — was held scoreless in the first half, finishing with seven points total amid a 2-for-8 shooting day.
“It’s just something we have to work at,” a succinct Anderson said when asked about the Red Storm’s shooting woes, compounded by an abysmal 8-of-17 showing from the free throw line, a season-long malady that has continued to plague a team picked fourth in the Big East preseason poll and one with tremendous upside.
If St. John’s has any hope of playing in the NCAA Tournament, its season-saving run has to start at home Tuesday night against what could be a Top 10 team in Providence, followed by two road games at Georgetown and Butler. When asked how big of a game Tuesday is, Anderson dismissed the notion that one game was bigger than the other, but nonetheless suggested he and his program are up for the challenge.
“They’re all big,” he admitted. “I don’t put more emphasis on one game than I do all year long, but I’m looking forward to it. We have to defend the home court.”
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