5 Takeaways: St. John’s hangs on late to beat Marquette

By Anthony E. Parelli (@reportedbytheAP)

In danger of facing potentially its worst loss of the season, St. John’s was saved by its freshmen.

 

After watching a 15-point halftime lead evaporate, the Red Storm once again found itself needing to execute in the final seconds against Marquette. This time around, it did, as Posh Alexander and Dylan Addae-Wusu – who were teammates at Our Saviour Lutheran High School a season ago – extended the St. John’s win streak to four, prevailing over the Golden Eagles, 75-73, on the road Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee.

 

St. John’s (11-7, 5-6 Big East) was originally scheduled to play UConn on Saturday, but a COVID pause in the Huskies’ program led to the quickly-scheduled tilt with Marquette. The win was the Johnnies’ fifth in their last six games, with the lone loss coming to the same Golden Eagles at Carnesseca Arena two weeks ago. It was the third straight road win for the Red Storm.

 

Sunday’s win looked like a runaway for St. John’s early, as an 11-0 run midway through the first half had the Red Storm up 28-13, prompting a timeout from Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski. Johnnies coach Mike Anderson responded with a timeout of his own after a 9-2 Golden Eagle run, but eventually Julian Champagnie and Alexander combined for six points in eight seconds to head to the half up 46-31.

 

Before you could blink, coming out of the break, Anderson was forced to call a timeout to slow a lightning quick 8-0 Marquette run. The Golden Eagles converted on nine consecutive possessions and tied the game at 51 just 5:30 into the second half. A Champagnie 3-pointer with 10:35 left put the Red Storm back up by eight, but once again, Marquette came back within one with under two minutes remaining.

 

That’s where Alexander, the Big East’s leader in steals, made his biggest play, stripping Marquette’s D.J. Carton at midcourt and hitting a contested layup to go up three. After two made free throws from the Eagles’ Koby McEwen, Addae-Wusu hit an acrobatic off-hand layup with 42 seconds left to once again extend the lead to three. 

 

Two free throws from Rasheem Dunn would eventually give the Red Storm a 75-71 lead, and up two, it was Dunn diving on the floor for a loose ball to give St. John’s possession with a two-point lead and 0.4 seconds left on the clock. Appropriately, Addae-Wusu hit a streaking Alexander to run out the clock for the Red Storm.

 

Here are my takeaways from the win:

 

Learning to win

It’s been just two weeks since St. John’s faltered in the final minute to this same Marquette team, making the Red Storm’s late-game execution that much more impressive. 

 

Dunn’s clutch free throws, Alexander’s defense and Addae-Wusu’s playmaking were the difference this time around, and the ability to finish one-possession games is crucial as the calendar flips to February.

 

Competing down low

St. John’s and Marquette play distinctly different styles, with the Red Storm 17th in the country in pace and Marquette 253rd. The Red Storm wants to turn you over and score in transition, while the Golden Eagles want to slow things down and use their dynamic frontcourt of Theo John and Dawson Garcia to beat teams into submission. 

 

John, a senior, is an absolute bulldozer under the rim, finishing Sunday’s contest with 16 points and eight rebounds while Garcia — a freshman, former McDonald’s All-American and a dynamic playmaker – finished with 20 and nine on the day.

 

St. John’s simply doesn’t have the big men to match up with that duo, but the combination of Josh Roberts, Isaih Moore and Champagnie gave a commendable effort. Champagnie was especially effective at beating Garcia on the offensive end, finishing with 22 points and seven boards.

 

Hit your shots

It seems like a simple concept for a Division I basketball team, but when St. John’s was struggling earlier in the season, it just couldn’t hit open looks, whether underneath the basket, at the free throw line or beyond the arc. Sunday, the Red Storm only shot 10 free throws, but made all of them, a huge difference in a two-point win. The Johnnies also shot 47.4 percent from 3-point range, with Vince Cole (2-for-3), Champagnie (4-for-7) and the suddenly-improved jump shooter Alexander (2-for-4) all taking advantage of clean looks.

 

Getting up off the mat

Building a 15-point lead at the half is nice, especially since the win moved the Red Storm to 9-0 on the season when leading at the break, but how the Johnnies responded to the second half offensive barrage by Marquette is more encouraging. Earlier in the season, that kind of run would have doomed St. John’s, but Anderson’s group kept its poise, never trailed in the second half and escaped with another resume-boosting win.

 

Greg getting closer

What St. John’s has accomplished throughout most of January is impressive in itself, but even more so considering it’s done so without its second-leading scorer in Greg Williams, Jr. The junior guard has been limited in practice recently and looks to be on the brink of returning from his back injury, an addition that can only help continue the Red Storm’s recent roll.

 

Next up

Whether this win streak is a mirage or not will be answered in a hurry, as St. John’s welcomes No. 3 Villanova to Carnesseca Arena Wednesday at 9 p.m. The Red Storm doesn’t have to beat the Wildcats – who are currently projected as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament – but must do enough to compete and show that it has closed the gap with the upper echelon teams of the Big East.

3 Thoughts: Seton Hall stumbles early in loss to Villanova

By Jason Guerette (@JPGuerette)

The scoreboard will say it was a loss by single digits, but it was not that close.

If the Seton Hall Pirates had maybe five more minutes, they might have come all the way back and beat Villanova on Saturday at the Prudential Center, but coming off a collapse against Creighton earlier in the week, they fell behind by double digits early and were never able to really recover in losing to the third-ranked Wildcats, 80-72.

Normally, there are five of these, but to me, there are three big things to go over from this game. Here are the thoughts:

1. Turnovers? More Like Burn-overs

Beating a team the caliber of the Wildcats is never going to be easy, but the Pirates dug themselves a big early hole today that they ultimately could not come back from. Turning the ball over against said caliber of opponent is never advisable, but against Villanova, it's downright catastrophic. Seton Hall turned the ball over six times in the game's first 12 minutes, and Villanova promptly turned those turnovers into 11 points on the other end to hold a 25-12 lead.

Until the Pirates made a late push, there were only a couple of possessions the rest of the way where the lead for Villanova wasn't 10 points or greater. What makes it a shame is that the Pirates did clean it up, and did a much, much better job at taking care of the ball, turning it over just five more times the rest of the way. But the damage was done.

2. Micromanaging

Another reason Villanova is so tough besides making other teams pay for their mistakes is that Jay Wright's crew is never, ever lax on its fundamentals, especially on the offensive end, but really on both ends. 

That puts pressure on Villanova’s opponents to also be sound, and for Seton Hall, the Pirates were not able to execute on a bunch of those little things that can sometimes make the difference in the ballgame. For example, there were some closeouts on shooters that were late, which resulted in either open shots or fouls drawn by Villanova (something they are excellent at, by the way).

It would take too long to rehash all of the game film, but two plays stick out to me regarding the little things. In the second half, Tyrese Samuel grabbed a nice offensive board, but then put the ball on the floor before attempting a putback. He never got the putback off because once he dribbled, the defense swarmed him and forced a jump ball, which is why post players are taught to keep the ball high.

Then, when Jared Rhoden came towards Sandro Mamukelashvili for a handoff later in the half, he didn't cut with enough gusto and it resulted in the Villanova defender knocking the ball away and forcing a tie-up, which gave the ball back to the Wildcats.

Shavar Reynolds put it nicely afterwards.

"We're playing hard, we're doing the right things, but it's the details," the senior guard said. "We're playing defense for 22-25 seconds, and then a back cut happens, or we close out and we don't contest. It's the details that we have to clean up."

3. The Big Three (Point Line)

For those just looking for a simple answer to the question of why Seton Hall lost back-to-back games at home, the last two games couldn't be more clear on paper. Seton Hall has surrendered 27 three-pointers in losses to Creighton and Villanova this week, 17 of which came in the meltdown against the Bluejays on Wednesday. Again, in this way, the early part of the game hurt the Pirates, as Villanova nailed five of its first seven attempts from deep to make the Hall pay for its mistakes and build that aforementioned double-figure lead. They actually went 5-for-15 the rest of the way, a much more acceptable 33 percent clip.

When asked about the perimeter defense, head coach Kevin Willard put it in a very Willard-like manner. 

"I would call it terrible, and that's an improvement from horrific the other night," Willard said. "It's mind-boggling. We're working really hard on the defensive end, and we're in position, but we're having little breakdowns at really bad times with the wrong guys. That kills you against good teams. 

"So I'm frustrated a little bit," he continued. "It's like having a little hole in the boat that's causing it to flood. We have to somehow get better at it, because otherwise, we're going to continue to struggle."

Those last two thoughts echo each other. The failing at certain little things on the perimeter, according to the coaches, is leading to a deluge of points from the outside, and that really is the entirety of Seton Hall's struggles on defense right now. In the two losses this week to Creighton and Villanova, the Pirates have allowed less than 40 percent shooting from two-point range, but 47 percent from the great beyond. Now, of course, some of that is just shots falling — Villanova had a couple of 3-pointers in this game that were well-contested — but the point is well-taken.

Perhaps those little things can plug the hole in the Pirates' ship, because they head into more treacherous waters next, with always-tough conference road tilts at Providence (who just lost to Georgetown) and UConn.

Kevin Willard quote book: Villanova

On execution against Villanova:

“You’ve got to play an A-level game, and I really thought offensively, we were kind of stuck in the mud a little bit in the first half. I thought our offense kind of gave them too many opportunities, too many easy opportunities in the first half, it just kind of dug us a hole. You’ve just really got to play a good A-game.”

On Seton Hall’s mindset:

“We’re definitely disappointed. We had good opportunities against really good teams, but I’m really impressed with how they bounced back today. I know they didn’t play good, but the loss the other night was tough. That was really a ballbuster, to be honest with you, but I thought they bounced back. I thought we played hard today, I thought we did some good things, but we had a hard time mentally getting going early in the game, and against a good team like Villanova, they’re just going to keep attacking you. So I think we’re disappointed, but we also know we’ve got a lot of college basketball to be played, we’ve got a whole month and a half, so that’s about it.”

On significance of next week’s matchups:

“At this point, I think every week’s big. Once you get to February, you stop being happy and you start kicking the dog. It’s just one of those things, there’s no more, ‘Hey, it’s December and you lost a game, that’s okay.’ We’ve got to rebound, we’ve got to come back and get after it — on the defensive end more than anything — and get ready to play two tough games.”

On Seton Hall’s perimeter defense:

“I would call it terrible, and that’s an improvement from horrific the other night. It’s really mind-boggling: We’re working really hard on the defensive end, we’re doing a lot of good things, our guys are in position, and we’re having little breakdowns that have really been, at times, with the wrong guys. That kills you against really good teams, and so I’m frustrated a little bit for the fact that we’re just having little breakdowns, it’s like a little hole in the boat is causing it to flood. We have to somehow get better at it, because if we don’t, we’re going to continue to struggle. So I don’t know if that’s the correct answer. I think it was terrible, but from horrific, I guess that’s an improvement? They only made 10 (3-pointers), Creighton made 17, so it’s seven less but I think it’s the same percentage, which is still s***ty.”

On making up games against Xavier and Butler:

“We’ll take tomorrow off. That’s our normal after the Wednesday-Saturday, we’ll take tomorrow off, practice Monday and Tuesday. I’m pretty sure the Butler game is getting rescheduled, I doubt we’ll get the Xavier game. Maybe we do if something else happens down the schedule and someone gets shut down, but you kind of get lucky if you get shut down early, to be honest with you, because if you don’t get shut down early, then you lose games and they’ve already made up all the games. I don’t think we’ll make that (Xavier) game up, to be honest with you. We’re going to play two, then we have a bye week and then we have three, then the Butler game’s going to be played, so that’s six, right? And then I wouldn’t be surprised if we move one of the March games into late February, so I think we’ll have a normal February. I just think we’re going to lose our bye week on February 7, if that makes sense. I think we go 3, 6, 15, 18, 21, and I think the Butler game’s somewhere around the 24th or 25th. It’s kind of a normal February for us, if that makes sense.”

On feeling good about Seton Hall’s mental state:

“Oh, absolutely. We just played at Creighton, at DePaul, at Villanova, home Creighton, home Villanova. We just went through the gauntlet. We didn’t survive it very well, but we just went through it and we had two chances to win games. We should have won both of them, and Villanova played really well, they outplayed us, so that’s part of this league and I think the good thing about a veteran team is they’ll be ready to bounce back on Monday.”

On moving March games into February:

“Just because I think of getting ready and having to be able to test for the Big East tournament. There’s always a possibility that one of the 3rd or 6th, depending on — and again, it’s so easy for me to say that and that’s what we’re talking about as a league, someone else gets shut down, there’s no way to plan for that right now. I think everyone’s trying to plan for making sure everyone can get into New York for the Big East tournament, if that makes sense.”

On Sandro Mamukelashvili:

“Sandro’s been a warrior. He’s played great all year. What he’s going through is something every top player goes through at some point. He’s getting double-teamed, everyone knows what we’re running for him, it’s the same thing Myles went through his junior year, same thing Myles went through last year. I do think he’s forcing it at times, but that’s just because he hasn’t been through this. He’s playing great, I think he’s giving great effort, I thought he rebounded the ball well today. It’s just that everyone goes through this. He had to play against Damien Jefferson, who I think is one of the best defenders college basketball, and he had to play against Jermaine Samuels, who’s one of the best one-on-one defenders. He’s had to go through it, and I think he’s going to be fine.”

John Chaney not only someone who cared, but someone who loved and inspired us to do the same

Revered over a lifetime in coaching, John Chaney’s example is one to be emulated and followed by everyone in every walk of life. (Photo by Temple University)

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

The news was sudden and shocking. 

John Chaney passed away.

It came in the middle of a Friday, with the mercury significantly below freezing. The brutal weather and even the games on tap for that evening suddenly left the thoughts and concerns of the day. We lost an icon, a man who did so much for so many through a glorious life. 

John Chaney celebrated his 89th birthday eight days ago. On this day, we were dealt a harsh reminder that tomorrow is promised to no one.

Chaney began as a standout player. Back in those days, there were quotas on African-American players in college and the NBA. With no opportunity to play at home in Philadelphia, he went south. His playing career spanned Bethune-Cookman in Florida, then eight seasons professionally in the Eastern League. Chaney entered coaching in 1963, and to little surprise,  worked his way up through the ranks the old-fashioned way. He earned it every step of the way from the school ranks through college. He even played a few seasons in the Eastern League on weekends and coaching at the same time. 

Chaney started his career at Sayre Junior High School before moving onto Simon Gratz High in Philadelphia. He spent nine years in total in those ranks, winning big at both stops before moving on to Cheyney State. Elected to the Big 5, College Basketball and Naismith Memorial Halls of Fame, and a two-time USBWA Coach of the Year (1987 and 1988), he won a national championship at Division II Cheyney State in 1978. But it was at Temple where he did the work he was renowned for.

Chaney arrived at the Broad Street campus in 1982. Prior to his arrival, Temple never went to national tournaments in consecutive years. Under Chaney’s guidance, the Owls made the tournament from 1984 through 1988, then again from 1990 through 2001. Temple was ranked No. 1 in the country in 1988, and seemingly headed to the Final Four before being defeated by Duke in the East Regional final. Chaney made five Elite Eights, but never got to college basketball’s final weekend on the Division I level. 

Chaney was a battler. As a player at the guard spot, he was aggressive. The same could be said for those days on the sidelines. He battled for equal rights, not only for his players, but black coaches as well. He battled for all young people, not just those playing the sport he loved, to have an opportunity, a chance to be better and construct a better life through education. 

The famous or infamous choking incident involving John Calipari epitomized, in many circles, Chaney the battler. The incident happened in 1994. Not too long after, Calipari and Chaney mended their ways, and even joked about it at the NABC Coaches’ Convention during the 1996 Final Four. 

Chaney preached the 2-3 zone defense. Critics say zones are passive. Not the way Chaney ran them. He was legendary for his pre-dawn practices, getting the workout in before class, plus making sure your players are not out late at night. On offense, a turnover might affect the venerable coach like fingernails screeching on a chalkboard.

Mike Vreeswyk played for Chaney in the late 1980s. Vreeswyk, a deadly shooter, was in the backcourt and would recall the wrath incurred for committing a careless turnover, not just with a 20-point lead, but even in practice. 

Those who played for him or spent time in his program praised him, as did the opposition. One of those on the other bench, Shay Berry, was an assistant to Bob Hill at Fordham. Berry remembered on social media how gracious Chaney was when this young assistant sought advice. 

“His words were gold,” Berry recalled. 

When Chaney coached at Cheyney, the women’s coach was C. Vivian Stringer. The two would share ideas on the game on a frequent basis. During semester breaks when the team was on campus, it was not uncommon for Chaney and Stringer to cook breakfast for the team members. Stringer credited a great deal of her success on the sidelines to Chaney. The two kept in close touch to exchange thoughts and ideas on the game after he went to Temple and Stringer left for Iowa, and eventually Rutgers.

Late January 1983 called for a Palestra doubleheader, the first game seeing Villanova defeat Syracuse in a Big East battle. A percentage of the crowd exited after the first game. I moved from the press table to behind the Temple bench for game two with the Owls facing Rutgers, my first chance to see and cover a Chaney-coached team in person. The visiting Scarlet Knights were the better team on paper, as Temple was riddled with injuries. Regardless, Chaney competed with a will to win. Make a mistake, and you heard it on the bench. To Chaney, you were there to compete and win, injuries or standings be damned. Temple lost that day, 70-68, but one could not help but think the program was headed for better days.

Temple avenged that loss defeating Rutgers, a team that swept them in the regular season, in the Atlantic 10 semifinals. The Owls lost to West Virginia in the championship to close out Chaney’s only sub-.500 (14-15) campaign at the school.

Chaney was entertaining with the media. His press conferences could be classic. One of the things he loved about visiting Fordham was the postgame deli spread. Ever the connoisseur, Chaney would grab a sandwich loaded with pickles and address the media. It was during one of those pressers he discussed one of his big men’s ill-fated shot selection. 

“Coach, I’m open from the outside,” the player would tell Chaney. 

“There’s a reason you’re open,” Chaney replied. “Because, God dammit, they know you can’t shoot the damn ball!” Very simple practical basketball, the kind you expected from his teams: Tough defense, care of the ball on offense. Those words of basketball wisdom encompassed Basketball 101 for a purist.

Chaney at times would even discuss the finer points of cooking and where to purchase the best ingredients in his native Philadelphia. At one A-10 tournament at The Palestra, yours truly and the coach engaged in some casual conversation between games. Yours truly remarked how Philadelphia soft pretzels (a personal favorite) are a delicacy. Coach Chaney proceeded for about 20 minutes to tell me the reasons why I was right and how they are made so special. Classic Coach Chaney.

The classic image stays in the mind’s eye: Chaney on the bench studying the action, tie loosened, sleeves rolled up halfway and an occasional jump out of his seat if one of his players did something like throw the ball out of bounds. The feeling here was the hope Chaney would never retire. Unfortunately, all things must come to an end, and he did step down in March of 2006. Chaney was replaced by Fran Dunphy, another outstanding coach and City of Brotherly Love personality who reveres the man he replaced.

The accolades, victories, awards, praise all added up. To John Chaney, the main thing beyond it all, was simply caring. He told The Athletic two years ago he wanted to be remembered as “someone who cared,” not only for his players and coaches trying to get a fair deal and progress, but Chaney wanted to be known as one who cared for all and a fair opportunity for all, regardless if they ever picked up a basketball. 

All afternoon the anecdotes, tributes and thank-yous came pouring in through social media. They will continue to do so, rightfully so, as coach Chaney touched so many lives. He was a great coach. More importantly, he was an outstanding teacher. His classroom was 94’ by 50’, where he could instruct defensive slides in the 2-3 zone while incorporating invaluable life lessons. Those lessons left all in his charge very grateful. 

John Chaney has passed on, but his legacy and the lessons remain, always valued and never forgotten.

Monmouth’s King Rice reflects on the passing of John Chaney

“I heard it right before the game, and I just went up to tell the guys on TV to make sure that they say, from King Rice and the Monmouth basketball program, we send out our condolences to the family.

I mean, what can you say about Coach Chaney? Pioneer, I didn’t know he was such a great player, because he wasn’t playing when I came around, but I did some research. He was a great player, but him as a coach was so incredible to watch what he did at Temple. And even before Temple, I know he was winning a bunch of games, but he came on and I knew about him at Temple, and I got to play against him two times. I know Mark Macon really, really well, and what Coach Chaney did for everybody is great. But what he did for black head coaches — okay, him, show me the guys, but — John Chaney’s one of the main guys. John Thompson, another main guy. Nolan Richardson, Tubby, Clem Haskins, all these guys, but Coach Chaney was one of a kind. And he’d have practice in the morning. When I first became the head coach, we practiced in the morning, and I probably should still do it, but it’s a hard thing to do that early in the morning.

But when I played against him as a senior, I made some free throws. And I always knew Coach Chaney was always nice to me, but I made some free throws down the stretch in ‘91 to go to the Final Four, and about 15 years later, he did an article in USA Today — and like I said, he always treated me great — but he did the article and in the article, they asked him about playing in a Final Four, and he said, ‘Well, my chance to make it was in ‘91, and we shoulda made it! But Carolina’s point guard, King Rice, and he wasn’t the best one (or something like that), made some free throws to make me not go to the Final Four!’ And I was like, ‘Man, Coach Chaney, I thought me and you were tight!’

He just means so much to college basketball. Every black head coach that gets a chance to coach, anywhere in the world, you have to thank someone like John Chaney.”

Record-setting win over Michigan State validates Rutgers’ confidence

 

Myles Johnson dominated Michigan State, proving unstoppable inside as Rutgers claimed first-ever win against Spartans Wednesday. (Photo by Rutgers Athletics)

Three short weeks ago, when Rutgers was being written off in the latest example of social media causing instant panic in the frustration of a slump, Jacob Young tried to put the Scarlet Knights’ rabid fan base at ease.

“We’re good,” the speedy guard said after Rutgers had dropped its third straight game — a skid that would reach five in a row before Sunday’s win at Indiana — on January 9 against Ohio State. “We’re going to bounce back.”

It would take the remainder of the month, but Young — his teammates and coaches, too, for that matter — were vindicated in a way hardly anyone thought possible Thursday night at the RAC.

Taking the floor against a Michigan State team coming into Piscataway fresh off a COVID-19 pause and owners of a 23-point win over Rutgers in East Lansing earlier this month, the Scarlet Knights played with a chip on their shoulders and the aggressiveness that carried them through a 6-0 start to the season. The 15-0 run on which the hosts opened the game was only the beginning, the stifling defense serving as the body of the effort, the 67-37 obliteration of the Spartans providing the emphatic conclusion and reminder that reports of the demise on the banks of the old Raritan were greatly exaggerated.

“We definitely wanted to come out and just make a statement,” Geo Baker declared as Rutgers (9-6, 5-6 Big Ten) not only defeated Michigan State for the first time ever in 12 attempts, but also held the Spartans to a point total that ranks tied for the second-fewest surrendered in a game since Steve Pikiell took over in 2016, and nine markers fewer than the program’s previous Big Ten Conference low. “We didn’t forget how we lost to them earlier this year too, so we just wanted to bounce back and get a good win, and we’re just happy that we did.”

“Defense was a huge part of this win today,” Myles Johnson imparted after his 13-point, 14-rebound tour de force was augmented by five blocked shots. “That’s who we are. Today was just a great showing of what we’re capable of doing from that end of the floor.”

In a textbook Pikiell defensive effort, Rutgers studied the tape from Michigan State’s 68-45 rout at the Breslin Center January 5, and effectively flipped the script a full 180 degrees. After being outrebounded by 20 in the first encounter between the teams, the Scarlet Knights took command of the boards by a 42-33 margin, turned 21 Spartan giveaways into 33 points, and registered 14 steals — five of which were recorded by Baker — to pair with a decisive 36-18 performance in the paint that was anchored by Johnson’s feast in the lane, which included a putback dunk that will make the rounds on highlight reels across the country.

🔥😈 @MylestheMonster cleans up on a putback dunk for @RutgersMBB!! pic.twitter.com/XqwbOL63Gd

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 29, 2021

“They did a good job defensively, we did a poor job,” Tom Izzo surmised. “I think my four guards, between them, had 15 or 16 turnovers. They played well, we played poorly.”

“Our guys were locked in,” Pikiell admitted. “We’ve had signs of being a good defensive team. Today, we kind of put it together. That was a 40-minute game.”

Now on a winning streak again to right the ship, Rutgers is firing on all cylinders heading into Sunday’s road trip to Northwestern. In fact, the Scarlet Knights buried their free throw shooting struggles Thursday as well, making 10 of their 12 attempts at the line to satisfy a coach who had taken slings and arrows for that facet of the game all season.

“No more e-mails today about free throws,” Pikiell quipped. “It’s a good feeling, 10-for-12. They stepped up today, they made them. Today’s a good day, I don’t have to answer that question.”

“We were going to let our defense dictate our offense,” Baker said when discussing the turning point for Rutgers. “Our defense was there the whole time, and we’re talented enough to where shots are going to start to fall. We played as a team, we just played together, and it worked out well.”

Peacocks, Jaspers meet in pivotal MAAC weekend series

 

KC Ndefo and Saint Peter’s return home Friday to face Manhattan as both teams seek to advance themselves heading into second half of MAAC play. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

Saint Peter’s returned from a layoff last week to split its pair of contests with Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference leader and favorite Siena, proving the 20-day absence was not as much a factor as some suspected it might be for Shaheen Holloway and his team of tough, fearless players.

“Even though we had a tough time scoring, our defense is what we hold our hat on,” the Peacocks’ third-year head coach recounted as Saint Peter’s returns home for the first time since December 12 to face Manhattan in a battle of like-minded programs who also share 4-4 MAAC records that look to be improved as the second half of the league slate beckons. “It helped us out and it kept us in both games, so I was happy with our defense, but I wasn’t happy with our offense. I think being off messed up our timing in game situations on the offensive end, but I’m very happy with our defense.”

“As far as the game with Manhattan, it’s going to be a war,” he predicted, citing the pressure defense crafted by his counterpart, Steve Masiello. “Steve does an unbelievable job with those guys, they play extremely hard and they’ve got the big kid down low, (Warren) Williams, he’s a handful. I think Anthony Nelson’s playing great, they got the other guard back who was hurt (Samir Stewart). I think they’re starting to play the way Steve envisioned those guys playing.”

Adding to the subplots this weekend in Jersey City is the aforementioned Nelson, the Jaspers’ leading scorer with a 14-plus point per game average that ranks sixth in the MAAC. Holloway is no stranger to the Harlem native, having recruited him to Seton Hall while still on Kevin Willard’s staff before getting the call to lead the Peacocks.

“I know all about Anthony’s game,” Holloway reiterated, prefacing the challenge that guards Matthew Lee and Daryl Banks III will spearhead in trying to contain Nelson. “I’m a big fan of Anthony Nelson. (He’s a) big guard, smooth, can shoot it, tremendous feel for the game. Now he’s getting an opportunity to play at Manhattan, and I think he’s showing what he can do there. I’m very concerned with him going into this game, because he’s the type of kid that can beat you, scoring-wise and getting people involved. We’ve got to contain him and make sure we understand what we’re getting ourselves into.”

As for Manhattan, winners of three straight after being unable to hold a double-digit lead in its January 8 loss to Quinnipiac, the Jaspers enter the Garden State refocused on the defensive end after yielding less than 49 points per game on average in each of their last three victories, an upswing Masiello credits to an emphasis on conditioning after being on pause at the beginning of the season.

“Coming out of quarantine against Rider and Marist, we were just in horrendous shape,” he recollected. “We just couldn’t play basketball at the Division I level from a conditioning standpoint, and coming out of that Marist series when they just took it to us, we decided to really recommit to conditioning. I didn’t know what it would look like from a basketball standpoint, then I thought we got into shape coming into the Niagara weekend, and we were fortunate to get two wins against a very good team.”

“A big thing of what we do is our conditioning. What shape are we in? Can we play our style? Can we run, can we press, can we create tempo? And I think we’re in shape to do that.”

Manhattan will need its game shape against a physical Saint Peter’s unit that matches its own constant pressure, and this series may not have come at a better time to provide a fair assessment of where the Jaspers stand.

“Obviously, Saint Peter’s is a tremendous team,” Masiello declared. “I have a lot of respect for Sha and the job he’s done. It’s late January, we’ve played eight conference games, so there’s a lot of work to be done. We’ll handle that in practice, games don’t determine our work or what we need to do. Games are a byproduct of our practice habits, but we understand Saint Peter’s, who they are, what they do, and we have to get ready for that opportunity.”

5 Thoughts: Seton Hall’s 16-point lead slips away in devastating loss to Creighton

 

Marcus Zegarowski hit one of two clutch 3-pointers that allowed Creighton to cap off 16-point comeback and defeat Seton Hall. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

Wednesday night looked, for most of the evening, like the statement victory Seton Hall craved coming off a heartbreaking setback on the road against Villanova eight days prior.

Owners of a commanding 68-52 advantage with 10:40 remaining in regulation, and an equally comfortable 79-71 cushion with three minutes to play, the Pirates were poised to use a scorching first half and gritty second stanza to put 17th-ranked Creighton away before the visiting Bluejays ripped off 10 unanswered points as part of a game-ending 14-2 run to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and leave Newark with an 85-81 victory over Seton Hall, completing a regular-season sweep after their 36-point rout of the Pirates on January 6 in Omaha.

Marcus Zegarowski’s straightaway 3-pointer with just over a minute to go in regulation swung the pendulum Creighton’s way, giving the Bluejays (12-4, 8-3 Big East) an 81-79 lead before Takal Molson tied the score on a driving layup. On the ensuing possession, however, Mitch Ballock — a thorn in Seton Hall’s side the entire night — knocked down the last of his seven triples to put the visitors ahead once and for all after Shavar Reynolds was unable to convert a three for the tie in the final seconds, thereby allowing Creighton to ice the game with a free throw by Denzel Mahoney, who secured the rebound on Reynolds’ attempt. The loss dropped the Pirates to 9-7 on the year, and 6-4 in conference play, with Villanova coming into town Saturday afternoon in a hotly-anticipated rematch between the Big East’s two signature programs of recent years.

Before the Wildcats take the Prudential Center floor, though, we step into the batter’s box in relief of Jason Guerette with a handful of observations from the proceedings in New Jersey:

1) Captain Comeback

An unconscious start to the game saw Creighton make eight of its first nine 3-point attempts and 10 of 15 in the first half before shooting a rather pedestrian 7-of-20 from distance after the intermission. While head coach Greg McDermott stemmed the tide with a 2-3 zone defense that prevented Sandro Mamukelashvili from imposing his will on the Bluejays, his two veteran guards went to work chipping away at a 16-point deficit, their efforts reaching a crescendo in the final minute.

“He makes my life a whole lot easier,” Ballock said of Zegarowski, whose own heroics set the wheels in motion for Wednesday’s win. “When he came off that ball screen, he made the right read. I think we flipped it into that step up off a double, and Marcus came up and hit that big-time shot. When you have a point guard like that, who’s always looking to make the right play and not really making a play for himself, but lets the game come to him, then everything opens up. They were just big shots to help us get to a victory.”

“Mitch does a great job of coming in and ghosting ball screens,” Zegarowski added, recounting Ballock’s dagger. “When he came and ghosted, I think (Myles) Cale was guarding him and Cale could have jumped out at me. He created separation and I just kind of threw it over and delivered it, and he made a tough shot down the stretch.”

2) Aiken for Bryce’s presence?

Bryce Aiken had by far his most productive night as a Pirate, leading Seton Hall with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting in arguably his biggest highlight of what has been an injury-riddled campaign for the graduate transfer from Harvard. But his presence was clearly lacking down the stretch, a decision Kevin Willard chalked up to conditioning and not being able to handle long spells of action just yet.

“BA has a minutes restriction a little bit, still,” the head coach remarked. “He played great and he’s looking great, he’s been playing great in practice, but again, long stretches of time. He can’t play nine, eight minutes in a row.”

Willard did reveal, however, that he was beyond satisfied with the production he received from Aiken, as well as his potential as the Big East season heats up.

“I thought it was really great having him out there,” he gushed. “Him being aggressive really kind of, I thought, changed the tempo of the game for us. I’m really excited about where he is.”

3) Fortifying The Rudder

Seton Hall gave up an uncharacteristic 33-13 surge to Creighton over the final 11 minutes of action, undoing what could very well have been the Pirates’ best first half of the season, wherein 54 points were scored in what materialized into a track meet against the Bluejays’ free-wheeling uptempo attack. Regardless, the breakdown was something that was acknowledged from both ends of the locker room after the final buzzer.

“We didn’t protect the 3-point line,” Myles Cale admitted. “It was a whole team loss. You can’t point a finger at anybody. Elite teams don’t let that happen. We know what we’ve got to do.”

“We’ve got to get a better defensive mindset,” Willard elaborated, doubling down on the statements his senior guard made moments prior to addressing the media himself. “I pretty much took all the blame. I kind of said, ‘You know, we’re not very good defensively, and that’s on me.’ We’ve got to figure out how to get stops when the game’s on the line. It’s easy to get stops when you’re playing well, but when you’re not playing well, we’ve got to figure out a way to dig in and get stops.”

4) Short Memories

Both Willard and his in-state counterpart, Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell, have spoken countless times about the need to forget about the previous contest and refocus. Both Garden State teams face stiff tests in the next efforts, with Rutgers welcoming Michigan State to the RAC Thursday as it hopes to avenge a thorough 23-point beating in East Lansing earlier this month, while Seton Hall entertains Villanova for the second time in 12 days this Saturday, retribution for a 76-74 defeat prime on its mind after a loose ball foul helped steer the Wildcats to victory.

“We lost a tough game to ‘Nova and I thought they responded great,” Willard said of his team’s effort Wednesday. “Now, we lost a tough one and we’ve got to respond again. You never really have a night off, so we’ll see what they’re made of. So far, they’ve answered the bell.”

5) Blue Sky

Creighton, who split the Big East regular season championship with Seton Hall and Villanova last year, has now taken four straight matchups from the Pirates, this latest victory allowing the Bluejays to remain three games behind Villanova in the loss column of the Big East standings and within earshot for a consecutive league crown. But as much as McDermott would like to raise another banner, his team’s competitive spirit took on more importance than the gap between the top two spots on the leaderboard.

“It’s one of our goals, but to be honest, this season, you can’t get too caught up in that stuff,” he candidly reiterated. “There’s a lot of teams across the country that have been far less fortunate than us in our ability to play games. We’ve been blessed. While I’d love to win a conference championship, if somebody goes 9-1 and we go 15-5 or whatever it is, I’m not going to cry. Let’s just be happy that we’re playing college basketball, let’s be happy that these guys have the opportunity to do what they love to do, and then we’ll let the chips fall where they may.”

“It certainly looked like things weren’t going to go our way for a long time, but fortunately, our guys kept believing. I don’t remember how much time there was left the first time we got it to six or seven, but when that happened, I thought, ‘alright, we’ve got a real chance here.’ We did a good job with the zone, and then we got them off the backboards as well and it kind of stymied their flow.”

5 Takeaways: St. John’s downs DePaul for third straight win

By Anthony Parelli (@reportedbytheAP)

 

It wasn’t all that pretty, and honestly, rarely is with this St. John’s team, but a win is a win.

 

The Red Storm shook off some poor second half shooting to extend its winning streak to three – and four of five – Wednesday at DePaul, downing the Blue Demons, 81-68.

 

Efficient offense and smothering defense, which held DePaul scoreless in the final 3:47 of the half, gave the Red Storm (10-7, 4-6 Big East) a comfortable 49-34 lead going into the break. That offense was significantly less efficient in the second period, however, allowing DePaul to trim the St. John’s advantage to just eight points at the 8-minute media timeout. Having to sweat for the first time all night, St. John’s coach Mike Anderson switched to a zone defense, fueling an 8-0 Johnnies run.

 

After being held to just two points in the second half, Julian Champagnie drilled a dagger 3-pointer from the corner with two minutes left to ice the victory for the Red Storm.

 

Here are my takeaways from the win:

 

Scary moment

Already down second-leading scorer Greg Williams, Jr., who remained out as he nurses a back injury, Red Storm fans’ worst fear briefly came to fruition as Champagnie came down hard early in the first half and grabbed his ankle. A few-minute break and change of footwear was all it took for the Big East’s leading scorer to find his way back to the floor, finishing with 16 points and six rebounds in the win.

 

JUCO transfers settling in

There’s definitely been a learning curve, but both Isaih Moore and Vince Cole have seemed to find their roles as of late. With Champagnie sidelined in the first half, it was that duo that grabbed control of the game for the Red Storm. Moore continues to excel off the bench, scoring 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, and Cole, who has shown he can score in bunches but struggles with consistency, has found a much better rhythm of late, leading the Johnnies with 18 points. 

 

It takes a village

With Williams out and teams keying on Champagnie, a premium has been put on the secondary players of St. John’s, and their success has fueled this recent streak. The Red Storm put four players in double figures, and Rasheem Dunn had a particularly prolific night, chipping in seven points and adding nine assists with four rebounds. Depth has been an issue in recent history for the Johnnies, but it’s proving to be one of the stronger assets of this squad.

 

Sky’s the limit

Maybe the most impressive aspect of Posh Alexander’s phenomenal freshman season is that his potential seems limitless. Every game, he gets a little more confident and a little more refined. The point guard scored 15 points Wednesday night, adding five assists and three steals. Despite almost always being the smallest player on the court, Alexander is an impressive rebounder, grabbing six boards in the tilt, including three on the offensive glass.  

 

Not all sunshine and rainbows

The bad news is that St. John’s got absolutely waxed on the glass, losing the rebound battle, 48-36 and allowed DePaul to grab an unacceptable 20 offensive boards. Senior Pauly Paulicap was particularly a nuisance for the Blue Demons, scoring 16 points and grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds.

 

Recent issues at the free throw line also hindered the Johnnies, as they went 14-for-21 from the charity stripe. Free throws haven’t lost a game for the Red Storm yet, but it’s certainly something to monitor as Big East games have a tendency to be decided by a slim margin. 

 

Next up

Saturday’s scheduled contest against UConn has been postponed as the Huskies enter a COVID pause due to a referee testing positive after their win over Butler on Tuesday. Fox Sports is reporting that St. John’s will travel to Milwaukee to take on Marquette Saturday, but the school has yet to officially announce the change.

A-10 Tempo Thursday: January 28, 2021

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

Saint Louis finally returned to action Tuesday evening. The first contest for the Billikens since December 23 saw Travis Ford’s team come up short at home against Dayton. Now, UMass and Davidson join George Washington on pause until further notice.

Moving on, arguably the two hottest teams in the conference, St. Bonaventure and Davidson, were set to meet at Belk Arena on Saturday. Davidson has paused activity, so that will have to be made up at a future date. George Mason had a home date with UMass get cancelled. Instead, the Patriots will travel to Reilly Center to meet the Bonnies. As mentioned previously, expect the unexpected and be prepared to adjust on the fly to the changes.

February, the final full month of conference play, is days away. For many, make that all, the clock is ticking. The following numbers reflect conference games through January 27, and are courtesy of KenPom:

Efficiency Margins and Records

1) St. Bonaventure (+15, 6-1)

2) Davidson (+12, 6-2)

3) Richmond (+11, 4-2)

4) UMass (+10, 4-2)

5) Rhode Island (+8, 6-4)

T-6) VCU (+4, 4-2)

T-6) Dayton (+4, 5-3)

8) Duquesne (0, 4-5)

9) George Mason (-1, 4-4)

10) George Washington (-2, 2-3)

11) Saint Louis (-7, 0-1)

12) La Salle (-8, 4-5)

13) Saint Joseph’s (-17, 0-8)

14) Fordham (-26, 1-8)

Offensive Efficiency Leaders

1) Richmond (112)

2) Davidson (109)

3) Dayton, St. Bonaventure and UMass (103)

Defensive Efficiency Leaders

1) St. Bonaventure (88)

2) VCU and Rhode Island (92)

4) UMass (93)

5) Duquesne (96)

On the topic of defense, mention must be made of Jeff Neubauer’s departure from the Fordham program on Tuesday. Associate head coach Mike DePaoli will fill in as an interim as the university conducts a national search for Neubauer’s replacement. 

Neubauer prided himself on establishing a strong defense at Rose Hill, but let’s look at the defensive efficiency numbers in conference games during his tenure:

2015-16: 107 (8-10)

2016-17: 101 (7-11)

2017-18: 110 (4-14)

2018-19: 106 (3-15)

2019-20: 98 (2-16)

2020-21: 103 (1-7)

Over that 25-73 stretch, the Rams won just one Atlantic 10 tournament game, a victory over George Washington last season a day before the conference and all of college basketball shut down amid the pandemic. Interestingly, the Rams’ defensive efficiency averaged 104 during the Neubauer years. Teams want to keep the defensive number under 100 while breaking triple digits on the offensive end. The best a Neubauer offense could manage was 100 his first year, which saw an 8-10 conference record. Each year, the offensive numbers dwindled. Last year, the defense showed its best mark at 98. The offense struggled with an 85. To date, the Rams have a 103 defensive efficiency. The offense is last in the conference at 80.

Granted, Fordham did play better defense the last year-plus under Neubauer. At any rate, his successor still faces a monumental task, one that goes a lot farther than fixing the offensive numbers. 

   

Tempo

1) VCU (73 possessions per game)

2) Saint Joseph’s and Saint Louis (72)

4) UMass (71)

5) La Salle (70)

Rhode Island also had a 70 mark, three-tenths of a percentage point behind La Salle.

Slowest Tempo

1) Fordham and Dayton (64 possessions per game)

3) Davidson (65)

4) St. Bonaventure and Duquesne (66)

Under the direction of Jeff Neubauer, Fordham always kept the pace in the 66-68 possession range. The pace, unfortunately, hasn’t translated into victories.

Games of Note

Saturday, January 23: St. Bonaventure 65, Duquesne 61

The Bonnies have now won 10 of the last 12 meetings with the Dukes. This series is anything but one-sided, however, as eight games have been decided by six points or less. A 91 defensive efficiency and 41 percent offensive rebounding rate proved a difference for Mark Schmidt’s Bonnies. 

La Salle 84, Richmond 78

The Explorers were forced into a 25 percent turnover rate, but still posted a 118 efficiency. How? They shot 9-of-17 from 3-point range to earn the upset on Richmond’s home floor. 

VCU 66, Dayton 43

VCU led tip to buzzer en route to a resounding bounce back victory after losing at St. Bonaventure the previous Wednesday. The Flyers were held to a 66 offensive efficiency as the Rams controlled the interior, blocking nine shots as Dayton did not have an answer on the perimeter, shooting 3-of-20 from beyond the arc.

 

Sunday, January 24: Davidson 69, UMass 60

The Wildcats trailed by as much as 12 in the latter part of the first half. Kellan Grady led the way with a game-high 22 points. Bob McKillop’s group excelled defensively, holding UMass to a 92 efficiency, 11 below its conference average.

 

Tuesday, January 26: Dayton 76, Saint Louis 71

The first game for the Billikens in over a month was the Arch-Baron Cup. The return and start of A1-0 play did not go well for Travis Ford, as Jalen Crutcher scored a game-high 27 points for the Flyers to offset just four offensive rebounds. Greater significance lies in limiting a normally aggressive rebounding Saint Louis team to just two caroms on the offensive glass.

Upcoming

Friday, January 29: Saint Louis at Richmond

Conference favorite Saint Louis stumbled against Dayton in its return to action after a long pause in activity. The Billikens take to the road to face formidable Richmond, a challenger for the top spot.

Saturday, January 30: Rhode Island at Dayton

Rhode Island has won three of its last four, and faces a Dayton team coming off a nice win at Saint Louis. David Cox’s Rams could use this one to gain momentum for the stretch run. 

Wednesday, February 3: VCU at Rhode Island

Host URI will have to face the VCU pressure and interior defense, a tough battle, but a good opportunity for the host Rams to get a significant and much-needed win.

In St. Bonaventure’s win at Duquesne, Jalen Adaway was instrumental for the Bonnies. Adaway finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks. The 6-foot-5 junior made several key plays down the stretch to preserve the victory.

Davidson’s Kellan Grady has shot 10-of-14 from 3-point range the last two games. 

Bones Hyland was VCU’s lone double-figure scorer in the win over Dayton. Hyland had a game-high 28 points. 

La Salle had 6 players in double figures in the win at Richmond. Sherif Kenney paced the Explorers with 17 points. 

In Saturday’s loss to George Mason, Saint Joseph’s committed only seven turnovers. Tuesday’s setback against Richmond saw the Hawks guilty of 18 giveaways.

Chad Baker scored a game-high 23 points in Duquesne’s 86-62 victory at Fordham on Wednesday. Baker, a 6-foot-7 freshman, shot only 1-of-4 from inside the arc. Dialing long distance Baker was 7-of-11.

Jeremy Sheppard is putting up some noticeable numbers of late. The Rhode Island senior guard scored 16 in a win over Fordham on Sunday and 25 at La Salle, another Ram victory, on Wednesday. Both were game-highs. 

All-KenPom

Jordan Goodwin, Saint Louis 

Bones Hyland, VCU

Jalen Crutcher, Dayton

Grant Golden, Richmond

Fatts Russell, Rhode Island 

Conference Averages

Efficiency: 99

Tempo: 68 possessions per game

Home record: 23-27 (.460)

Close games: 11 of 50 (22 percent)

Blowouts: 10 of 50 (20 percent)

The home court edge is still not significant. To date, the conference fell under .500. Competitiveness is another issue. Close games are those decided by less than four points or going into overtime. Interestingly, just over one-fifth are close games while exactly one/fifth are blowouts. At this point, the numbers leave little middle ground for the type of games in conference. Almost half are white-knucklers or one-sided. A close look will be kept as February progresses.