The Johnnies brought home a twelve-game win streak to Madison Square Garden for a rematch with the Creighton Blue Jays. Fans were cautiously optimistic as the Blue Jays had recently upended the Connecticut Huskies in Storrs. With several long-range bombers led by leading scorer, Josh Dix, the Red Storm would have to handle screens and smothering Bluejay long-range shooters.
With Ian Jackson out due to a sprained ankle, fans wondered if this would provide an opportunity for Lefteris Liotopoulos to continue
his success from the successful jump shooting he displayed against Marquette days before.
First Half
Another change was made to the starting lineup due to Jackson’s absence for St. John’s: Zuby Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins, Dillon Mitchell, and Joson Sanon returned for a second consecutive game, while Oziyah Sellers was back to 100% health from a slight ankle injury that forced him to come off the bench against Marquette.
The Johnnies started with Ejiofor winning the tip and then grabbing an offensive rebound and being fouled on a put-back attempt. He made two out of two free throws for a 2-0 lead. Over the next four minutes, the Red Storm, behind a Mitchell drive, then a Sellers fast break and layup, built an early 6-0 lead. Hopkins then followed that with a coast-to-coast layup to give the Johnnies a 8-0 lead.
Mitchell received the defensive assignment to keep the Bluejays’ top scorer, Josh Dix, in check. Dix finally scored on a 13-foot pull-up jumper to get the Blue Jays on the board, but a driving layup by Hopkins extended the lead to 10-2 at the 17:25 mark.
The Red Storm’s defense was applying pressure, and Creighton was putting up shots with less than five seconds on the clock.
As the Johnnies’ defensive pressure was intense, their offense was moving the ball fluidly. With 15:42 to play in the half, Mitchell drove into the paint and found an open Sanon on the left wing. Sanon obliged with a three-pointer, giving the Johnnies a 16-4 lead.
After the Sanon three, the defense did not get back, allowing a breakaway layup, thus trimming their lead to 16-6.
Creighton rebounded behind two three-pointers by Fedor Zugic and trailed by six, 24-18, with 8:30 to play in the half. St. John’s called a timeout. Dylon Darling entered the game and, thirty seconds later, stole the ball and then fed Ejiofor down low, resulting in a dunk. He was also fouled.
It became apparent to all that the referees were calling a close game, and it was also apparent that the Johnnies were pushing every defensive rebound up the court.
Zugic made his third three-pointer in the half, cutting the Red Storm’s lead to five at 28-25. But that was as close as Creighton would come as the Johnnies pulled away for a fifteen-point halftime lead, 42-27.
Halftime
The Red Storm, particularly the defense, was playing very well. The Blue Jays had hit three out of ten three-pointers, and their field goal percentage was 37 percent. The Johnnies outrebounded the Blue Jays 19-13 and had survived the tight calling by the referees with no one in foul trouble.
Second Half
In several recent games, the Johnnies would enter the second half slowly after holding halftime leads, losing some or even their entire halftime lead in the early minutes of the second half. Fans asked each other if this pattern would continue. The consensus was mixed.
Josh Dix attempted to ignite the Bluejays with a driving layup to reduce the deficit to thirteen. A three-pointer by Nik Graves cut the deficit to ten with 17:17 to play. The teams traded baskets, then Mitchell took a defensive rebound and pushed the ball upcourt, beating defenders and laying the ball in for a 48-34 lead at 15:30. Forty seconds later, Hopkins found Sellers underneath the basket for a layup plus one, which he hit, to push the lead to sixteen.
The excellent passing continued when Ejiofor hit Sanon, driving to the basket. Sanon found Ejiofor cutting to the basket and hit him for a layup. Quite the give-and-go with the big man Ejiofor initiating it. With twelve minutes to play, Darling stole the ball from Ty Davis and passed to Mitchell, who forwarded to Hopkins for another layup. The Red Storm looked like a well-oiled machine, leading 59-36.
With 5:49 to play, the score was 71-43, and a fan exclaimed. “My God, Creighton can’t get anything going”. That’s the type of defense the Johnnies were playing.
Takeaway #1: St. John’s played their best defensive game of the season
Remember when Coach Pitino stated that the team needed significant improvement ahead? He broke it down to the guards, except for Darling, who needed to begin playing their opponents tighter, “chest to chest”. Since Darling was already doing this, he was not included in the “Needs improvement” group.
In this game, it was clear that the Johnnies were listening. With their ability to smoothly switch off defensive assignments, St. John’s forced Creighton to often put up an attempt with five seconds or less on the shot clock. Occasionally, one of the rushed shots went in, but most of the time they didn’t.
St. John’s’ success on the glass also helped their defensive efforts. The Johnnies took down 44 rebounds to the Bluejays’ 30. Of those rebounds, 34 were defensive boards for St. John’s, and only five of Creighton’s were offensive boards. That is a formula for success. How did this defense come to be so impactful?
Takeaway #2: The Red Storm displayed a locked-in mentality
Dillon Mitchell shared in the post-game news conference, “We were locked in throughout the game.” When asked how they locked in, he added that the team studied film. We studied scouting reports on both the team and individual players. Then we identified where we needed improvement and practiced.
Coach Pitino added that he felt this group of assistant coaches was outstanding. The reports they bring to the players are informative and accurate. Players are taught opponents’ strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies. What types of offensive actions are each player put in? Are they most comfortable driving to their left or right? Does this preference change at the end of games?
The information is valuable, and Coach Pitino assessed that every player was “Locked-in” throughout the game.
One last thought. When the video of Posh Alexander appeared on the scoreboard, he truly appeared to be enjoying the Johnnies’ performance. One fan asked the question, “Is Dylan Darling the second coming of Posh Alexander?” That was an excellent deduction by the fan.
Takeaway #3: There’s a new leading scorer every game
For many of the team’s early games, Zuby Ejiofor led the team in scoring. Then opponents would drop their defenders into the paint and challenge Red Storm teammates to feed Ejiofor.
Over the past few games, it has been Bryce Hopkins and Dylan Darling leading the scorers. Oziyah Sellers has had his day leading the team, and Joson Sanon and Ian Jackson are contributing particularly from three-point land. Coach Pitino has praised Dillon Mitchell’s contributions, as he is often an assist leader and an effective rebounder.
Perhaps most significantly, with the two Dillon/Dylans leading the way, is the fact that every defensive rebound led to a push up the floor, opening opportunities as the Bluejays attempted to keep up.
We’ve said it before, and we say it again. Who do opposing coaches key on? Is it Ejiofor, Hopkins, Mitchell, Darling, Sellers, or even Jackson when he’s healthy? St. John’s coaches are known for their excellent game planning. Can opponents do the same against this Red Storm team?
Outlook
There are four games left against three of the top teams in the league and a Georgetown team that has had its excellent days this year. But for the players, it is one game at a time, and we will do the same.
The UConn players will be prepared for February 25th. But so will the Johnnies.
With the improvement being shown in the last few games and the more diversified offense, will this team prevail against a prepared UConn team? It is truly a toss-up game, one in which a win obviously helps, and a defeat will not hurt as long as the game is competitive. So let’s go, Johnnies, onto fourteen straight!
