Beating Depaul was expected for St. John’s, even with leading goal scorer RJ Luis Jr. on the page for the first time this season due to a groin injury.
On Sunday, the 10th ranked red storm meets one of their biggest tests of the season when they oppose Uconn-and to have Luis available will probably be much more critical for the game at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Luis had not been excluded for the game, and St. John’s coach Rick Pitino said that Friday said the decision was up to Luis as the Red Storm trial to complete a seasonal sweep of Huskies for the first time since 1999-2000.
Luis, a Big East player by the candidate, tops the red storm (23-4, 14-2 Big East) with 17.6 points per match, a figure ranked as the fourth in the conference.
He got 23 points in Red Storm’s victory over Creighton on February 16, but was replaced in the starting lineup by Sadiku Ibine Ayo three days later. Ibine Ayo received a career pile of 15 points when St. John cruised to an 82-58 victory over Blue Demons. Ibine Ayo would start the start again if Luis remains out.
“Everything takes time. We start mesh well together and play each other,” said St. John’s senior guard Kadary Richmond. “That’s what it required, some time to be adjusted to each other.”
Devion Smith joined Ibine Ayo as he moved from the bench to the starting lineup towards Depaul, and he led the red storm with 18 points, his second highest sum of the season. Smith had handled a neck injury that Pitino thought would be indefinitely due to the guard.
Richmond, who dedicated 17 points and nine returns, is an average of 17.8 points and 8.2 returns in his last six matches, although Pitino said the guard played through the same injury as Luis.
The Huskies (18-8, 10-5) was handed over a 68-62 home loss by St. John’s on February 7 after they blew an early 14-point lead. Luis covered a 21-point excursion by beating the clear jumper with 11 seconds left.
Uconn is 6-5 since he won his first four Big East games, although it owns Road wins then no. 9 Marquette and then no. 24 Creighton in this span. The Huskies were held at 70 points or fewer in each of the last four matches, most recently forced to take out a 66-59 victory over Villanova in Hartford on Tuesday.
Liam Mcneeley scored 16 of her 20 points after half time against Wildcats, including 11 points in game-ending 27-6 driving. McNeeley missed eight matches with a high ankle reinforcement and is on average 21.8 points in four matches since returning, including an 18-point excursion against St. John’s and a 38-point showing Creighton.
Uconns Tarris Reed Jr. Added 13 from the bench against Villanova after making a combined three points the previous two matches. The Huskies won despite a silent show from Alex Karaban (six points), which is 6 out of 47 from 3 points in their last nine matches.
Uconn came past Villanova after disappointing 69-68 overtime loss in Seton Hall on February 15 when it blew a seven-point lead in the last 36 seconds of the regulation.
“The season hung in the balance for us (against Villanova),” Huskie’s coach Dan Hurley said. “If we lost this game, will play St. John’s in the garden over the weekend, this will definitely galvanize us. With some advanced victories and then have some really bad low -flooring times, this team must find a way to finish strong , go into the Big East tournament with great speed. ”
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