St. John’s capped its brutal January with its biggest win in five years, hammering No. 3 Duke 93-78, in a game that wasn’t even that close. The Johnnies had a 21-point lead at halftime and only four Blue Devils 3-pointers in the final two minutes kept things close(r).
At 11-8 overall and 4-5 in the Big East, St. John’s hardly has an NCAA tournament profile, but it’s not far off, either. From Asher Fusco at College Hoops Journal:
“It’s up to St. John’s to determine their destiny, or fate by winning enough games,” Lavin said. “Because at the end of the day, what they’re going to look at is your body of work, your overall resume, and who did you beat. To this point we’re pleased with at West Virginia, Notre Dame, Georgetown and Duke. Those would be four, then when you add the number two strength of schedule and the high RPI, now you’ve got some positive things.”
But by far my favorite part of the win? It gives the ex-UCLA coach a huge boost in visibility heading into Saturday’s trip to UCLA.
That should provide plenty of fodder for any Bruins fans disenchanted with Ben Howland.
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