St. John’s not sealing statement win only raises stakes during daunting stretch

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Somehow, this splendid afternoon of college basketball had been reduced to a single, simple element. There were 4.3 seconds left. Marquette led St. Johns, 73-72, despite leading by as many as 13 just 5 minutes earlier.

There were 12,214 inside Madison Square Garden, but now they made the old gym sound full, like there were a few extra thousand hiding in the aisles. Marquettes Tyler Kolek missed a foul shot. Joel Soriano grabbed the rebound.

St. Johns called timeout.

Marquette called timeout.

Maybe this was one for the folks who believe the endings of collee basketball games are interminable, crawling to the close slower than a Scorsese movie, but this was also for those who still believe the regular season is more than just a four-month layup-line, too. All you had to do was listen. All you had to do was see. This mattered plenty to Marquette.

It mattered even more to St. Johns. A week ago the Johnnies had their hearts crushed at Creighton, losing at the buzzer when a shot didnt fall and a whistle wasnt blown. Three nights later they were ransacked by Seton Hall.

St_John_s_not_sealing_statement_win_only_raises_stakes_during_daunting_stretch 3Daniss Jenkins of the St. John’s Red Storm reacts on the court after his potential game-winning shot fell short on Saturday. Robert Sabo for NY PostTwenty minutes of real time earlier, it looked like Marquette was going to finish off a bookend beating, since theyd outscored the Johnnies by 23 points after St. Johns had surged to a 34-24 lead late in the first half.

Somehow, theyd come back. Somehow, with Marquette playing at the very top of its game, with Kolek seemingly at the peak of his powers, they had a 14-2 run in them. A 71-58 game had become 73-72. Now the Johnnies had a chance to beat the 17th-best team in America, and maybe etch in permanent ink a coming bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Our guys showed amazing character down the stretch to fight back, St. Johns coach Rick Pitino would say later. Great effort by our guys.

St_John_s_not_sealing_statement_win_only_raises_stakes_during_daunting_stretch 3Zuby Ejiofor #24 of the St. John’s Red Storm is greeted by Simeon Wilcher #7 of the St. John’s Red Storm after Ejiofor hits a shot during the first half on Saturday. Robert Sabo for NY PostIt showed a lot of maturity, said RJ Luis Jr., whose 20 points and three steals were essential to the cause.

All along, the Johnnies and the truest of their believers had circled this stretch of season, understood we would learn so much about them as they stacked eight games against Villanova (twice), Providence, Creighton, Seton Hall, Marquette, Xavier and UConn into a 28-day stretch. Theyd started it 2-2.

Now they had a shot at a statement win that would resound, that would strengthen their credibility among their own fans and enhance their resume with the NCAA selection committee. Most bracketologists had the Johnnies in the 8-9 range, which keeps them out of Dayton. Their analytics are sound. They generally pass the eye test, with Tuesday in Newark being the lone exception.

But at some point, if you want to be truly good, and you dont want to sweat Selection Sunday, you have to beat good teams. Theyd come close against UConn and Creighton. They beat Villanova and Providence though the Wildcats are defined more by reputation than accomplishment now, and the Friars are down their best player, Bryce Hopkins.

There are no asterisks when youre building a dossier across the winter, you happily accept every win and hurry along to the next game. Some mean more than others. This one wouldve left a mark, an impression. Still work to go. But a nice pelt for the wall.

St_John_s_not_sealing_statement_win_only_raises_stakes_during_daunting_stretch 3Daniss Jenkins takes the final shot of St. John’s loss to Marquette on Saturday. Robert Sabo for NY PostFinally, the players returned to the court. And it was impossible not to notice what Marquette coach Shaka Smart opted to do. Thirty-two years ago, Pitino made one of the most debated strategic decisions of his life, choosing not to guard the inbounds play when his Kentucky Wildcats, up 103-102 in overtime, decided not to guard an inbounds play with 1.8 seconds left in an NCAA East Region final against Duke. Grant Hill had an unimpeded sight line to Christian Laettner and, well, you know.

But Smart knew if he left Chris Ledlum unguarded inbounding, and let his five players guard the Johnnies other guards and forwards, it would force Soriano, at 6-foot-11, to be their only option to race it up the floor. It would mean once he passed off, the other players would all be closely guarded.

Jenkins got a good shot, but there were hands in his face. It missed. Marquette fans rejoiced, and their players exhaled. St. Johns fans winced, and their players folded their hands behind their heads. Ballgame. A hell of a ballgame.

There are usually no moral victories, but today was a moral victory, Pitino said after the Johnnies dropped their third game to three ranked league foes, by a total of six points. Give Marquette all the credit.

Theyll do it again Wednesday, at the Garden again, Villanova in the house in what feels like the first must-have game of the Pitino Era. Another fun night at the Garden awaits. See you there.

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