@Georgetown, Tue., Jan. 28 , 6:30p, FS-1

Feels like how Sorber plays is going to be a big part of how this goes. SJU really erased him from the Georgetown offense last game. Unlikely it goes that well again. I can see Sorber doing more of his usual damage but it being offset by either another good Richmond game or a big RJ game.

Just win. I don’t care if it’s pretty. I don’t care if we shoot 1-30 from 3 and only win by 1. Keep stacking wins.
 
Queens_Ball said:
Feels like how Sorber plays is going to be a big part of how this goes. SJU really erased him from the Georgetown offense last game. Unlikely it goes that well again. I can see Sorber doing more of his usual damage but it being offset by either another good Richmond game or a big RJ game.

Just win. I don’t care if it’s pretty. I don’t care if we shoot 1-30 from 3 and only win by 1. Keep stacking wins.
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This ^^^ +10000
 
tnice said:
Kadary will be bringing the ball up, Scott is the perfect guy to flash to the foul line. Better shooter. I bet Prey could do it too.

Justin Brownlee was the best at that of any player in recent SJU history. He used to drain those foul line jumpers all night, and when they collapsed on him he'd kick it to Hardy for WIDE OPEN threes. Those early Lavin teams destroyed zones.
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I don’t think he is close to the weapon at the FT line as Richmond. You would want him on the wings. Sim will have to handle the ball and get it to Richmond a lot.

RJ is the other threat there and that takes away the worst two dribbles that get him into trouble.
 
Georgetown doesn't have good depth.

52 of their 68 points came from Sorber and Peavy.

The other 16 were divided up between three players, with one of them scoring 2 points on the day.

Shut one of them down, and we roll.
 
Marillac2 said:
I feel that Prey has already surpassed Fielder.
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I feel I have a full head of hair. But the mirror says no.

Also if you give RJ the ball at the FT line unless they have Matt A riding on his back like it's a chicken fight and saying "don't drive" in his ear there is no way RJ is taking that shot more than twice as opposed to doing his favorite thing.
 
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With wins at Creighton, at Villanova, and vs Xavier, obviously a team not to be taken lightly. They basically go 7 deep so staying out of foul trouble important for them.

This is a big game for Georgetown, a winnable game for them, and important in their program rebuild. A win would put them at 5-4 in conference.

To be a top tier Big East team, important for us to sweep most of our middle of the pack opponents, which Georgetown is becoming.

We have to avoid a slow start. Continue to play 40 minutes of in your face defense. Without Smith again, we can't continue to shoot so badly from 3 given the hit to our transition offense. Our halfcourt offense must continue to be effective, from mid range and pounding it inside.
Bangkok Johnny said:
This is absolutely a MUST WIN GAME if we expect to be 9-1 in the Big East. There's no way around it.
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I would agree. We can't expect to be 9-1 if we lose
 
The key to the game is not to fall behind by double digits in the first half . Cooley , like Miller , isn’t going to be unprepared with a game plan that forces us to shoot long range .


By the same token, anyone still have one ? Pitino will also have a rabbit up his sleeve that will give the Hoyas something they didn’t plan on .
That could be some pressure Defense early to confuse them and wear down Peavy . Not too long to exhaust us but , enough to bother them until the 1 st official time out .
Then, Zone them for a while , see how well they can shoot from long range which could negate Sorber for a while .

I like the idea of Pitino’s to get Wilcher to shoot more 3’s . What’s the risk ? He doesn’t make them . We have been there over and over and still win .
But , if we hit 6 or more , we are in good shape .
 
If Zuby plays well and avoids foul trouble and we pressure Gtown's guards we will be ok. Peavy & Mack will both turn it over. Curtis Williams a bit of a wild card for Gtown. Seems to be in the doghouse the last couple of games but had some nice games before that and can hit the three.
Would love to see Zuby get Sorber in foul trouble early.
 
NCJohnnie said:
If Zuby plays well and avoids foul trouble and we pressure Gtown's guards we will be ok. Peavy & Mack will both turn it over. Curtis Williams a bit of a wild card for Gtown. Seems to be in the doghouse the last couple of games but had some nice games before that and can hit the three.
Would love to see Zuby get Sorber in foul trouble early.
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Listening to a knowledgeable group of gtown fans at the msg game, they made the point that Curtis Williams is curiously being underused. They view him as a potential potent weapon.
 
I agreed with Zach's point on his spaces that they're a better team without Epps. Their bench had zero field goal attempts against Providence! 0! That's unsustainable and definitely not good for the team. Sorber's still a freshman and can get rattled. Mack in his first year of big conference play looks it.

Maybe I should be more worried about the game, but we should be win this one.
 
Like FDR said:

"The only thing we have to fear is fear that we lose to Gtown and then No. 15 goes bye bye and then we question our postseason chances and then certain posters talk about the weakness with this team that they noticed on DAY ONE and then we ask whether Rick was the right guy and then someone brings up Danny Hurley in 2015 and then we laugh a little remembering Norm."

Or something like that.
 
Yahoo Sports newsletter I got had a funny little blurb about Pitino/STJ tonight.

WATCHLIST: THE PITINO SPECIAL​
ADKq_NYlhZg3MW5w0N47ZO8EVWEWNrsFIqzJOqVQPL8IhO6B-gVn2UpX2Rj_zOAwHw0b76cpQJ7CP02FgrdDud8EaGDgdvJ_L-1T9nfm8WQ9UHx6TNNv2omoLjQ4mui2zB3H1N0Gen1K06HtO8wKOpxZSWE=s0-d-e1-ft
(Porter Binks/Getty Images)​
Rick Pitino's current program takes the court tonight as a ranked team, and so do the two programs where he spent the majority of his coaching career.
‌
  • No. 15 St. John's at Georgetown (6:30pm ET, FS1): The Red Storm are 17-3 in their second season under Pitino and have their highest ranking since 2014.
  • No. 12 Kentucky at No. 8 Tennessee (7pm, ESPN): Pitino coached the Wildcats from 1989-97, reaching three Final Fours and winning the 1996 national title.
  • Wake Forest at No. 21 Louisville (7pm, ACC): Pitino coached the Cardinals from 2001-17, reaching three Final Fours and winning the 2013 national title (vacated).
 
My concern with Sorber is not just his offense but his defense as well. If the Johnnies are not hitting shots and forced to drive, which is the usual scenario, Sorber will be waiting. Here’s where some nice pick and rolls with Zuby comes in should G Town play man. If zone, as others have said, float Kadary in the middle and let him create.

This is a Big East road game….. never easy and as Beast said above, against a team with the potential to win. Without Smith, the team will not get as many shots up as they have in the past to make up for poor shooting so the three keys to winning…… DEFENSE, MAKE A BETTER PERCENTAGE OF SHOTS, PLAY SMART.
 
dk423 said:
I agreed with Zach's point on his spaces that they're a better team without Epps. Their bench had zero field goal attempts against Providence! 0! That's unsustainable and definitely not good for the team. Sorber's still a freshman and can get rattled. Mack in his first year of big conference play looks it.

Maybe I should be more worried about the game, but we should be win this one.
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Respect GT, certainly capable of knocking off just about everybody at home. That said, their two stars will likely get their due, but the backcourt as noted above can be exploited. Their second half swoons could be a few things; conditioning, lack of “calming” guards or getting rattled above the norm.

Pitino seems to have this group pulling together on a mission and I think we win a close one. Lastly, playing down there, the environment is not in same class as raucous Marquette, PC, Creighton, X or UConn which is a plus.
 
Winning conference games, by and large, are difficult. They are supposed to be.

Winning conference games on the road are even more difficult. They are supposed to be.

But the main reason I feel good about this team going into a game, home or away, because they are relentless and resilient.

This team is built and now comfortable playing a style that is worthy of a tough “road game,” even at home. They may not always dazzle but they will always grind.

When the sneakers squeak, SJU’s game is at its peak. (Yeah, yeah. I know. Very dopey rhyme).
 
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