Aaron Thompson brings the ball up the court. Butler travels to St. John’s in search of their 10th conference win. Collegian file photo.
JOSH MULLENIX | STAFF REPORTER | jmulleni@butler.edu
Who: Butler vs. St. John’s
When: Feb. 28, 9 p.m.
Where: Carnesecca Arena, Queens, New York
How to watch: CBS Sports Network
The Butler men’s basketball team begins the final week of the regular season on the road at St. John’s. The Bulldogs head to New York as winners of two straight inside Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Red Storm, on the other end of the spectrum, have lost back-to-back games. A season plagued by injuries, St. John’s is 3-13 in conference play and 14-15 overall. In the first matchup, Butler ran away with a 70-45 victory inside Hinkle Fieldhouse behind 19 points from Kelan Martin. Here’s what to know as the Bulldogs look to finish their season on a strong note.
Don’t be fooled by the record, St. John’s has done something no one else in the country has done this year.
In a matter of four days, St. John’s knocked off the top-ranked Villanova Wildcats and the No. 4 ranked Duke Blue Devils. They were three minutes away from knocking off Xavier the week before. The lesson? St. John’s has the talent to beat anybody on any given night. Prior to their recent losses, the Red Storm went on a four-game win streak including two road wins in Big East play. St. John’s is an opponent Butler needs to take seriously, just ask some of the nation’s top teams.
Stopping Shamorie Ponds. Again.
The defensive effort on Shamorie Ponds was textbook in the first matchup. The explosive sophomore was 0-12 from the field and had only two points the entire game. He had more turnovers and personal fouls than points. As a result, St. John’s struggled to do anything offensively, scoring 45 points and only 15 in the first half. When Ponds goes, this St. John’s team goes. That same St. John’s team put up 79 and 81 points in their wins against Duke and Villanova. Ponds’ average in those two games? 29.5 points. The recipe for stopping the St. John’s attack is not complex, but it is easier said than done.
Butler could really use some more road wins.
The Big East is a consensus top three conference in the country. The committee won’t be able to keep a team with at least a .500 record in the Big East conference and wins over Ohio State and Villanova out of the tournament. But they can dock the Bulldogs for the lack of quality road wins on their resumé. Butler has only three true road wins this season, two of them coming against DePaul and Georgetown. Adding a couple road wins to the resumé against St. John’s (and especially Seton Hall) would nearly double Butler’s road wins and put them at 11-7 in conference play. The Bulldogs are headed to the Big Dance, but their seeding is still yet to be determined.
