(EMPIRE Games @Barclays) Temple, Mon., Nov. 21, 9:30p, ESPNU

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Last two games with less than stellar offensive first halves both saw Jones have slow starts. Gotta get him going early and avoid silly fouls in first stretch of game. It’s not the only reason for our slow starts but everything is better when you’re able to make shots.
 
NCJohnnie said:
IMHO, Temple will be a tougher opponent than either Syracuse or Richmond. Tough guards although not necessarily point guards. Pressure d should bother them but do not underestimate Battle.
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My concern with Temple is the size and athleticism of their guards. Posh, Curbello, Mathis etc. will have to pressure these guards and not let them get in an offensive flow as they are talented and can shoot. Great test for our two PGs.
 
Johnny Rapper said:
My concern with Temple is the size and athleticism of their guards. Posh, Curbello, Mathis etc. will have to pressure these guards and not let them get in an offensive flow as they are talented and can shoot. Great test for our two PGs.
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Having watched the Temple game tonight, it appeared that neither Dunn or Battle are terribly big guards. Temple was bothered a great deal by Rutgers' pressure, which is nowhere as good as ours. As someone who is generally pessimistic when we play a decent opponent, I am uncharacteristically optimistic about our chances against Temple. I think we will match up well with them. The key will be defending the 3 point line. They clearly love to shoot them and can make them if left open. Dunn was averaging 30 points per game in their first three games and Battle has talent but loves to chuck. If we play a solid game defensively, we'll be in very good shape.
 
Small sample size this year but check out Dunn’s progression as a shooter. Don’t usually see multiple jumps like that. Ignore freshmen year he only played one game.
 

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Dunn and Battle had 22 and 21 against a defensive minded Nova team that took Mich State to the wire in Lansing Mich. if our guards can outplay them, it will be a victory in itself. We are going to need Jones and Soriano to have good offensive games to get by Remple.
 
First game away from home for us, second neutral site game for Temple after their win over Rutgers at Mohegan Sun tonight.

I'm guessing we open around 5.5-6.5 point favs
 
I watched the Temple v Nova game and the Rutgers game. They completely got lost once Rutgers put the pressure on defense on them. Similar to what we did in the 2nd half with Nebraska, we're going to have to play like that against Temple.

They are obviously led by Dunn and Battle. So Posh and Curbelo will have to be on their game and most importantly avoid foul trouble. They have a guy in Zach Hicks who can hit the 3, and Soriano will face his biggest test in the paint against Reynolds who has good size.

I think we get a real sense of how tough this team is after the game. Looking forward to being at Barclays tomorrow. Go Johnnies
 
NCJohnnie said:
IMHO, Temple will be a tougher opponent than either Syracuse or Richmond. Tough guards although not necessarily point guards. Pressure d should bother them but do not underestimate Battle.
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I agree I think the 2 best teams thus far are St. John's and Temple. Both Richmond and Syracuse have been struggling early.
 
MakingPlays said:
I agree I think the 2 best teams thus far are St. John's and Temple. Both Richmond and Syracuse have been struggling early.
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I agree
Syracuse's reached their crest while in the Big East. Now it seems they have no aim. They're like a baseball team with no arms or a blacksmith with no hammer. After all, they were beaten by Colgate. The mere thought of replacing Boeheim is a sensodyne topic.
 
SJUDave said:
I watched the Temple v Nova game and the Rutgers game. They completely got lost once Rutgers put the pressure on defense on them. Similar to what we did in the 2nd half with Nebraska, we're going to have to play like that against Temple.

They are obviously led by Dunn and Battle. So Posh and Curbelo will have to be on their game and most importantly avoid foul trouble. They have a guy in Zach Hicks who can hit the 3, and Soriano will face his biggest test in the paint against Reynolds who has good size.

I think we get a real sense of how tough this team is after the game. Looking forward to being at Barclays tomorrow. Go Johnnies
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It is games like this where 15-20 minutes from King could be key.
Looking forward to watching him develop over time.
 
Astoria STH said:
Any word on Nyiwe and Pinzon? The added depth tomorrow night would be a huge plus.
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My best guess is Pinzon is out. Walking boot at the end of the game on Thursday, it’s an ankle sprain and if it’s in a boot a turn around to Monday is extremely unlikely.

Nyiwe who knows, grieving process, he should take all the time he needs.

I expect 20 mins or so for Wusu and Storr and King to get double digits also.
 
Just don't fall behind EARLY and have to scratch to make up. That playbook works against the Nebraska's of the world, but we need to play from the jump as many others have said.

I think the best chance we have to keeping Brandan Gardner is give Storr minutes if he is productive. Show that solid freshmen can get burn at St. John's and not just be projects.

Let's go boys.
 
Looking forward to seeing the team play against slightly better competition. As others have mentioned, would like to get off to a better start. The couple of times I’ve seen Temple they are susceptible to pressure and they look to shoot 3’s. So I anticipate we look to harass them from the start. Of course, it will be helpful if we make some shots. The 9:30 start time is a little tough. Young Guys sitting around waiting to play. Old guys looking to sleep. As always, Go St. John’s!
 
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