[dropcap]Thursday[/dropcap] afternoon, the Big East will showcase four Top-20 teams in an afternoon tripleheader. The day starts with #6 Xavier visiting #16 Villanova at 11:00am on FS1, followed by Creighton at St. John’s at 1:00pm on FS1. Then #12 Providence visits #9 Butler at 1:30pm on CBSSN. The Bluejays/Red Storm game will struggle for attention in the midst of that lineup (and against the College Football Playoff), but the conference opener for both teams should be an exciting one.
It’s the first conference home game for Chris Mullin, 30 years after he led the Red Storm to the 1985 Final Four, and the first game for the Bluejays at Carnesecca Arena, as their previous two trips to St. John’s since the move to the Big East were played at Madison Square Garden. It’s a decidedly different atmosphere in the smaller on-campus arena than it is in the World’s Most Famous Arena — more on the Loyola-Chicago end of the spectrum than CenturyLink Center — but for Mullin’s first Big East game as coach, on New Years Eve to boot, it’ll be a festive atmosphere.
The Red Storm were a mess when Mullin took over, as all five starters from last year’s NCAA Tournament team were gone, only five bench players remained, and not long after he came on board, two more departed. His staff had to do some quick recruiting just to fill out the roster. The result is a team with nine newcomers, and a team where freshmen have accounted for nearly 50 percent of the team’s scoring offense and more than one third of the squad’s total rebounds.
They won seven of their first 10 games, including a huge win over Syracuse at MSG that opened a lot of eyes, but then proceeded to lose two inexplicable games at home — 73-51 to Incarnate Word, and 83-74 to NJIT. In the next game they lost 75-61 to a ranked South Carolina team, and limp into Thursday riding a three-game losing streak and nursing a 7-6 record.
Federico Mussini, a 6’1″, 155-pound freshman from Italy, leads the team in scoring and ranks 12th in the Big East with a 14.0 scoring average. His offense comes from everywhere; Mussini is 26-56 (46%) inside the arc, 25-82 (30%) outside of it, and 31-38 (81%) from the free throw line. He leads the team in the latter two categories, is tied for seventh among all Division I freshmen with his 30 three-point makes, and is third in the Big East with his average of 2.3 treys per game.
Fellow freshman Yankuba Sima, at 6’11” and 205 pounds, has established himself early on as one of the better defensive centers in the league. He leads all of Division I with 46 blocks, and ranks in the top-15 in the Big East with 7.0 rebounds per game. Sima covers up for a lot of defensive mistakes his young teammates make (and allows them to be a little more aggressive with their on-ball pressure) because of his prolific shot-blocking skills. His presence in the middle means this will not be a game where Maurice Watson can drive to the rim and take circus layups all afternoon; much like he found out in the game at Oklahoma, those shots will be rejected.
Mussini and Sima are the only freshmen teammates to each garner Big East weekly honors this season. Mussini was named to the Big Easst Weekly Honor Roll on December 14 after averaging 14.0 points in a pair of wins over Syracuse and Niagara, including a 17-point, three-assist performance against the Orange at Madison Square Garden. And Sima was named the Big East Freshman of the Week on November 23 after leading the Red Storm to wins in the first two games of the year. He averaged 10.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.0 blocks against UMBC and Rutgers in the Gavitt Tip-Off Games. Mussini and Sima are also one of two freshmen combos in the league to lead their team in scoring, rebounding and assists, and the only tandem to top the charts in those three categories as well as blocks.
It’s the team’s two seniors — both transfers in their first year of eligibility at St. John’s, oddly — who round out the leading scorers, however. Durand Johnson, a 6’6″ senior, averages 11.6 points per game and has scored in double figues in five of the last six games. He’s also been solid defensively, ranking in the Top 10 in the league with 16 steals. Johnson played his first two years at Pitt, then sat out last season after transferring to St. John’s.
Ron Mvouika, also 6’6″ and also a senior, averages 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds a game, and is 11th in the league with a 41.5% shooting percentage from three-point range. A graduate transfer from Missouri State, Mvouika provides needed experience for the Johnnies after a solid stint in Springfield. In 2013-14 he started eight of 17 Missouri Valley Conference appearances, averaging 7.2 points and shooting 44.4 percent from 3-point range to go with 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. He suffered a season-ending injury last year after just two games, and his arrival in Queens has been huge. In three of their toughest games, he had his best performances: he scored 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists versus Syracuse, had 17 points, five rebounds and three assists versus Indiana, and logged a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds against Rutgers.
Rounding out the starting five is Christian Jones, a 6’7″, 230-pound junior who played sparingly as a sophomore but has emerged as one of the leaders this year. He has two double-doubles so far this year (17 points and 11 rebounds in Maui vs Chaminade, 11 and 10 at home vs NJIT), and averages 8.5 points and 5.6 rebounds a game.
Among other players to keep an eye on is a third freshman, Kassoum Yakwe (6’7″, 200), who has been a spark on both ends of the court. He’s their second leading shot blocker with 2.0 swats per game, and has had moments of offensive power also, most notably scoring 15 points (5-11 FG, 5-6 FT) against the Orange.
St. John’s achilles heel defensively has been guarding the perimeter, as they’ve allowed teams to shoot 36.1% from three-point range and make an average of 7.9 threes a game. That bodes well for a team like Creighton who, despite taking fewer of them this year than last, has multiple shooters who can make threes consistently. Sima’s presence inside means it’s tough for guards to score at the rim, so for the Jays to win, Watson needs to figure out early who has the hot hand, and feed them.
On the other hand, St. John’s has been significantly better defensively at Carnesecca Arena than other venues this year; they’ve held opponents below 60 points in four of the eight games there, while holding teams to an average of 61.5 points per game and a 35.9 field goal shooting percentage. Compare that to their overall numbers — 70.2 points allowed per game and a 41.4% shooting percentage — and it’s clear they’re a better team in the friendly confines of their home arena than they are elsewhere.
Creighton’s season could really pivot on this game — win, and you can make a case for being 2-1 heading to Seton Hall next weekend (and heck, maybe even 3-0 if they catch some late night magic in a bottle against Villanova). Lose to the Johnnies and they not only head home with a ranked league favorite standing between them and an 0-2 start — and staring the demons of last year’s 0-for start in the eye — they’ll have squandered one of the rare winnable road games on the schedule.
It’s foolish to place so much emphasis on one game, especially the very first conference game, but I’ll be damned if I can help it. The Bluejays HAVE to win today. They just do.
Quick Notes on the Red Storm:
- St. John’s hosts its Big East opener for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign, which was also the last time the Red Storm won a conference debut defeating Providence 91-67 on December 27, 2011 in Queens.
- The Red Storm is 6-2 at home this season and has held teams below 60 points in five of the eight contests.
- The Red Storm’s top three scorers, Federico Mussini (14.0 ppg), Durand Johnson (11.6 ppg) and Ron Mvouika (8.8 ppg), have combined for 66 of the team’s 82 3-point field goals.
- The Red Storm’s roster features six international players who have combined for 64 percent of the team’s total minutes this season. St. John’s six foreign-born players are tied with Canisius, Eastern Washington and Saint Mary’s as the second-most in NCAA Division I, trailing just New Mexico State’s total of nine international players. Freshmen Federico Mussini (Reggio Emilia, Italy), Yankuba Sima (Girona, Spain), Kassoum Yakwe (Bamako, Mali), sophomore Amar Alibegovic (Rome, Italy), senior Felix Balamou (Conakry, Guinea) and graduate student Ron Mvouika (Paris, France) have combined for 65 percent of the team’s scoring, 56 percent of rebounding and 69 percent of assists.
Bluejay Bytes:
- Creighton owns a 12-5 record in its last 17 conference openers, and Greg McDermott is 7-7 all-time in conference openers as a Division I head coach, including a 3-2 mark at Creighton (1-1 in the Big East). They’re looking to avoid starting 0-1 in league play during consecutive seasons for the first time since 1993-94 and 1994-95.
- The Bluejays are winless in two trips to St. John’s (both at Madison Square Garden), one of just three Big East schools it has not defeated on the road in the first two years in the league. They’ve also lost both trips to Providence and Georgetown. Incidentally, they’re 2-0 at DePaul, and 1-1 at the other five league schools.
- Creighton had not scored 100 points or more in consecutive games since January 29 (104 at Idaho State) and February 2 (115 vs. Memphis) during the 1965-66 season, and had not scored 100 points twice in the same month since February of 1990. Creighton has not scored 100+ points three times in the same month since January of 1966. They’ve NEVER scored 100 points in three straight games, and not scored 100 or more points in a road game since December 18, 1989 in a 106-86 win at UMKC.
The Series:
St. John’s leads the all-time series 7-4, and has never lost to the Bluejays in New York, holding a 6-0 edge. Creighton won the first meeting between the schools as members of the Big East, but the Red Storm have won two of the three since.
Greg McDermott is 2-2 against St. John’s, but has never faced Chris Mullin.
The Last Time They Played:
Rysheed Jordan scored a career-high 25 points and D’Angelo Harrison finished with a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double in leading St. John’s to an 84-66 victory over Creighton on February 7, 2015. The Red Storm shot 66.7 percent (22-of-33) in the first half and led by double-digits for more than 35 minutes on the afternoon.
There weren’t many bright spots for the Bluejays in the blowout loss at MSG, but they did manage to outrebound the Johnnies 43-33 — including an absurd 24-7 on the offensive glass. Of course, there’s a lot of opportunities for offensive boards when you miss 45 shots (and go 5-22 from three-point range). Rick “We Hardly Knew Ye” Kreklow had a double-double for the Jays with 10 points and 10 boards, six offensive, and added six assists.
Man, I wish that guy had more than one year in Omaha.
Gratuitous Linkage:
Chris Mullin, the St. John’s legend, five-time NBA All-Star, and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist (the second coming as part of the original Dream Team), needs no introduction. But when he was featured on “60 Minutes Sports” on Showtime earlier this month, he shared some insight into his attitude.
This article from the New York Daily News runs down the highlights from the segment, including the fact that he’s still unbeatable in H.O.R.S.E. and his strategy for rebuilding the Johnnies.
What the Other Side is Saying:
“It’s not hard to figure out (St. John’s struggles). In every game, three-point shooters are left open after screening someone like Federico Mussini or Ron Mvouika – both players with talent, but lacking some defensive foot speed. In every game, the Johnnies struggle to get good shots for stretches. In every game, there are a spate of turnovers as the opponent pressures the team full court. Sometimes there are some hurried ‘hero’ shots.”
-Norman Rose from Rumble In The Garden, “WBR’s From The Other Side”
This Date in Creighton Hoops History:
On December 31, 1953, Creighton played their eighth consecutive road game — part of a rugged two-week trip that saw them visit Springfield, Wichita, Denver, Seattle (for two games on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day), and finally St. Paul, MN — and took third place in the St. Paul Invitational with a 75-66 win over Illinois Wesleyan. They jumped out to a 43-29 lead at the half thanks to hot shooting by Eddie Cole, but a IWU run early in the second half tied the game at 50 with 12 minutes to go.
Cole led the way with 33 points to set a tourney record, and Ray Yost added 20 for the victorious Bluejays. It would be the last Bluejay win on New Years Eve for over 50 years, as they dropped the next seven matchups on the date. They broke the streak in 2008 with a NYE win at Indiana State, and followed it with wins at Wichita State in 2011 and vs Marquette in 2013 before falling at Providence last year.
As for the 1953-54 team, Subby Salerno’s Bluejays next beat Regis of Denver and South Dakota on a quick two-game homestand before heading right back out on the road for seven more road games in a row encompassing the rest of January. Despite a roster with stars Cole and Yost, they finished 14-17, perhaps partially because they played just 12 of 31 games at home. Yikes.
Completely Random, Totally Rad Music Video of the Day:
RIP Lemmy.
The Bottom Line:
What I hope happens: at least eight assists from Mo Watson and at least 10 combined threes from Zierden, Huff, Thomas, and Hegner. That ought to be enough to win regardless of anything else they do (or don’t do) against St. John’s.
What I fear happens: a repeat of Loyola, where the team comes out in a small gym with a lack of energy, falls behind early, and can’t come back.
Let’s split the difference and call it good.
Bluejays 82, St. John’s 75