Three takeaways from St. John's three-game trip to the Bahamas
St. John's Deivon Smith battles for the ball with Georgia's Tyrin Lawrence during an NCAA men's basketball game Sunday in Paradise Island, Bahamas. Credit: Bahamas Visual Services via AP/Tim Aylen
St. John’s brought a 4-0 record and a No. 22 national ranking to the Bahamas this past week for three games in four days. The Red Storm went 1-2 in the games, which could be viewed as a measuring stick, and wound up out of the AP Top 25 when Monday's new rankings were released.
The Red Storm lost their first game to No. 13 Baylor in the worst and most painful way. After giving away an 18-point first-half lead and allowing the Bears to extend the game into a second overtime, Zuby Ejiofor missed two free throws with 4.1 seconds left and Baylor’s Jeremy Roach nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer for a 99-98 win.
There were a few things that deserved scrutiny. Baylor coach Scott Drew asked for a review of something before Ejiofor’s free throws — a delay that Red Storm coach Rick Pitino compared with “being iced” — and then there was the matter of the clock not starting right away after Ejiofor missed his second free throw.
That said, it was no surprise when St. John's appeared in the "also receiving votes" section of Monday's new rankings. The Red Storm received a total of 10 points, leaving them in 38th place, one point behind Georgia.
1. Have the results of the trip to the Bahamas changed expectations for the Red Storm?
Even though the loss to Baylor was in two overtimes and a buzzer-beater, it helped knock St. John’s out of the national rankings. Bouncing back from a gut-punch loss with a resounding win over Virginia indicated the team has a strong constitution. But no one knows how the loss to a Georgia team in a very strong SEC will affect St. John's. If the Bulldogs end up at the bottom of the SEC, there could be a toll from a mistake-laden, poorly executed three-point loss. A year ago, the losses to Michigan and Boston College — both of which ended up having poor seasons — took a toll on St. John’s when it was evaluated by the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
2. Where is Kadary Richmond?
Richmond was a first-team All-Big East selection for Seton Hall one year ago because he excelled at scoring, assisting and rebounding. He became a national story by transferring to a conference rival and is supposed to be St. John’s best player, but no one has seen that guy. In the loss to Baylor, he shot 4-for-11 for 14 points, with seven assists and three turnovers. Against Georgia, he shot 1-for-8 with two assists and three turnovers. Pitino has made veiled suggestions that he is not in shape yet for grueling games. He needs to get there for St. John’s to win.
3. St. John’s fan base is highly underrated.
Despite an almost steady decline for 25 years — the Steve Lavin seasons excepted — there still is a vibrant St. John’s fan base. These people spent their hard-earned bucks to turn out in the Bahamas, and their resounding support of Ejiofor on Friday after he missed those two key free throws in Thursday night’s loss was a difference-maker. Ejiofor was excellent in the final two games.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.