Villanova 90, St. John's 72: Ray Floriani's Tempo-Free Analysis

The St. John's dance team performs at halftime against Villanova. (Photo courtesy of Ray Floriani)

New York City­ - The ranking issue can be forgotten. For the moment, the number that counts is 0­-3 in conference. St. John’s fell to Villanova 90-­72 at Madison Square Garden, and is winless in Big East action. Villanova bounced back from their loss at Seton Hall this past Saturday in a big way. The numbers:

Possessions: St. John’s 70, Villanova 68

Offensive efficiency: Villanova 132, St. John’s 103

Quick pace was not a surprise, as both teams enjoy getting out in transition. St. John’s posted an above average efficiency on offense. The defensive end? Another story. Suffice to say, giving up a 132 is not going to win you many games.

Four Factors:
eFG%: Villanova 64, St. John's 53
FT Rate: Villanova 26, St. John's 24
OREB%: Villanova 47, St. John's 16
TO Rate: Villanova 14, St. John's 14

What Villanova did well: Utilize their dept. Jay Wright’s club accounted for a 25-­7 edge in bench scoring. The points in the paint also went to the Wildcats, 42-­30. That can largely be attributed to the inside work of Daniel Ochefu and the gradual wearing down of a thin St. John’s rotation.

What St. John’s did well: Care for the ball. Granted, the eFG (thanks to 5-of-13 from three) was over 50%. The 14% turnover rate stands out as one of the few highlights on a tough night.

Despite the final margin, the game had six ties and nine lead changes. Villanova pulled away in the last ten minutes of the contest.

Scoring leaders:
Darrun Hilliard, Villanova - 21 points
D'Angelo Harrison, St. John's - 25 points

Efficiency leaders:
Daniel Ochefu, Villanova - 27
D'Angelo Harrison, St. John's - 24

Ochefu, a 6­-11 junior, scored 13 points (6-of-7 shooting) while adding 13 boards (7 on the offensive end). Harrison shot 8-of-15 with two assists and no turnovers.

Sharing the ball: Villanova assisted on 65% of their field goals. St. John’s assisted on 29%. Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono scored 9 points (one field goal). The junior guard posted an impressive 18 efficiency thanks to 10 assists (St. John’s had 8 as a team)  and zero turnovers.

Villanova is 14­-1 overall (2-­1 conference) while St. John’s is now 11­-4.