Butler Game

Ok. So after we beat Butler, how much do you think we will beat Nova by? :p

Just kidding. Actually, Butler looks like a pretty weak team, although they did play Creighton close. If we were on the road, there might be a reason to worry (although we destroyed them at their place). At home, this should be an easy win. I can't imagine a big enough letdown for us to lose this game. Dlo's leadership and Sheed's playmaking ability won't let us down. We will be a double digit favorite and should cover.
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We should not expect any games to be easy. Seton Hall was not easy after Creighton. We have to respect every opponent and play as hard as we can, "A Game At A Time".
 
If the last Seton Hall game was any indication, we play down to bad opponents.

Lavin has to light a fire in them with every desperation tactic he has.

The Seton Hall game came down to the final possession. That never should've happened.

We need to step on Butler's throat early and get some much needed rest for D'Lo and Sheed after carrying us 48 hours ago.

Perfect non-athletic matchup to sneak some minutes in for Hooper.
 
If the last Seton Hall game was any indication, we play down to bad opponents.

Lavin has to light a fire in them with every desperation tactic he has.

The Seton Hall game came down to the final possession. That never should've happened.

We need to step on Butler's throat early and get some much needed rest for D'Lo and Sheed after carrying us 48 hours ago.

Perfect non-athletic matchup to sneak some minutes in for Hooper.
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And if we do get Butler down and keep them down, would also be a perfect time for Branch to get back in the groove. A New York groove!
 
If the last Seton Hall game was any indication, we play down to bad opponents.

Lavin has to light a fire in them with every desperation tactic he has.

The Seton Hall game came down to the final possession. That never should've happened.

We need to step on Butler's throat early and get some much needed rest for D'Lo and Sheed after carrying us 48 hours ago.

Perfect non-athletic matchup to sneak some minutes in for Hooper.
Click to expand...

My comment during the Hall game. Lavin and DLo have to convince the team that in terms of final record this game is just as important as the Nova game.
 
Perfect non-athletic matchup to sneak some minutes in for Hooper.
Click to expand...

Why should it be a concern "to sneak some minutes in for Hooper"?
 
If the last Seton Hall game was any indication, we play down to bad opponents.

Lavin has to light a fire in them with every desperation tactic he has.

The Seton Hall game came down to the final possession. That never should've happened.

We need to step on Butler's throat early and get some much needed rest for D'Lo and Sheed after carrying us 48 hours ago.

Perfect non-athletic matchup to sneak some minutes in for Hooper.
Click to expand...

As someone pointed out to me, Sunday was a perfect time to get subs a minute or two in at the end of the game. However, Thompson was/is an ass and had his starters in pressing full court, so Lavin, rather than surrender 6-8 points of the lead, kept our starters in as well. Bush move by Thompson, who I'm certain has bench players who rarely see the light of day. You wave the flag, empty your bench, and the winning coach does the same or looks stupid.

As I pointed out to my friend, no need to worry about our players because St. John's starts our bench players, walk-ons, and redshirts. :)
 
Perfect non-athletic matchup to sneak some minutes in for Hooper.
Click to expand...

Why should it be a concern "to sneak some minutes in for Hooper"?
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How many minutes did D'Lo play vs. Georgetown? I didn't see him get subbed out.

That was only 2 nights ago.

He needs rest.

Hooper can give him some minutes against a less athletic team like Butler.
 
@KieranDarcy: St. John's guard Jamal Branch practiced Monday, will be available tonight vs. Butler. Missed past two games after oral surgery. #SJUBB
 
Perfect non-athletic matchup to sneak some minutes in for Hooper.
Click to expand...

Why should it be a concern "to sneak some minutes in for Hooper"?
Click to expand...

How many minutes did D'Lo play vs. Georgetown? I didn't see him get subbed out.

That was only 2 nights ago.

He needs rest.

Hooper can give him some minutes against a less athletic team like Butler.
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BTW, D'Lo played 40 minutes Sunday night.
 
Perfect non-athletic matchup to sneak some minutes in for Hooper.
Click to expand...

Why should it be a concern "to sneak some minutes in for Hooper"?
Click to expand...

How many minutes did D'Lo play vs. Georgetown? I didn't see him get subbed out.

That was only 2 nights ago.

He needs rest.

Hooper can give him some minutes against a less athletic team like Butler.
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BTW, D'Lo played 40 minutes Sunday night.
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Good. He's a superbly condition athlete, and clearly one of our best players. Wilt Chamberlain averaged almost 48 minutes for his entire career. You put your best on the floor for a given situation, foul trouble, and sub when guys need a blow. I'll take 40 minutes of the caliber play that Harrison exhibited for the rest of the season - and if guys want to play they had better practice harder and improve.

By the way, did you just respond to yourself? :)
 
http://www.rumbleinthegarden.com/2014/2/18/5421886/st-johns-vs-butler-pregame-odds-tv-announcers-prediction-scouting-report

But Steve Lavin and the Red Storm don't plan to take Butler lightly. "This year they been as competitive as anyone in our conference with six overtime games, losing four," he said. "But they’ve taken the top half of the league to the wire."

In their last game, Doug McDermott needed a three-pointer in the last minute to give the Bluejays a 64-63 victory in Indianapolis. Ten of their games have been decided by five points or less, with the Bulldogs going 4-6.

The problem seems to be rebounding and raw talent. The Bulldogs are near the bottom in offensive and defensive rebounding, with big men who struggle to grab boards - outside of Kameron Woods. And the team has been poor at shooting the ball from all over the court; still they manage to slow teams down and make enough plays to stay close to opponents.

Butler had season-lows for rebounds (21), field goal attempts (43), three-point field goals (1) and three-point field goal attempts (8) against St. John's last month. They will be looking to play the Johnnies a little tighter and earn a breakthrough; that loss was one of three in Big East play that was by more than 10 points.

Would the game have been closer if Kellen Dunham shot more than 1/5 from behind the arc? If now-surging point guard Alex Barlow was playing with the tenacity he has shown in recent games?

St. John's has to avoid playing loose, down to the opponent; Butler is crafty enough to earn a signature victory tonight.
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"Butler is crafty enough to earn a signature victory tonight"- We have come a long way. Beating us now is considered a SIgnature Victory!
 
total on this game is only 131. They must think Butler is gonna run 30 secs off the shot clock on every possesion
 
total on this game is only 131. They must think Butler is gonna run 30 secs off the shot clock on every possesion
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I think it might be because of our defense. According to the Hoyas board, our defensive efficiency is 26th in the nation and we held Creighton to under 1 pt per possession during both games, which is very very tough to do (Creighton is #2 in the nation in points per possession). And we've been even better during this winning streak.
 
If the last Seton Hall game was any indication, we play down to bad opponents.

Lavin has to light a fire in them with every desperation tactic he has.

The Seton Hall game came down to the final possession. That never should've happened.

We need to step on Butler's throat early and get some much needed rest for D'Lo and Sheed after carrying us 48 hours ago.

Perfect non-athletic matchup to sneak some minutes in for Hooper.
Click to expand...

My comment during the Hall game. Lavin and DLo have to convince the team that in terms of final record this game is just as important as the Nova game.
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The team has to and I'm sure does understand how important this game is.

A win tonight would have us virtually "all the way back" and not feeling like we are playing catch up anymore from the 0-5 start. 18-9, 8-6 is a reasonable place for us to be after this game (even via a more conventional and balanced method). The chance to put ourselves in position to split our last 4 games and still get to 20 wins is not one we can pass up. It would also set us up for our first "house money" game of conference play at Nova, as there would only be upside in that game.

A loss and we still have ground to make up, and the Nova game becomes substantially more important.
 
@zkeefer: Ken Pom has St. John's beating #Butler tonight, 70-60. Only gives the Bulldogs a 15% chance of victory.
 
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