St. John’s will face fifth-seeded Marquette, which rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat Xavier, in a Huge East Event semifinal on Friday night time at Madison Sq. Backyard.
Right here’s a have a look at the Golden Eagles:
Kam’s court docket
Kam Jones is among the premier guards within the nation.
The senior was a Nationwide Participant of the 12 months candidate the primary half of the season earlier than his effectivity fell off.
He was a unanimous All-Huge East first-team choice and exploded for 32 factors, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in opposition to St. John’s final Saturday.
Jones had 28 factors in Thursday’s quarterfinal win.
Slowing down the 6-foot-5 southpaw will likely be a problem.
Ball safety
Marquette is adept at taking good care of the ball and taking it away.
It’s third within the nation in turnover margin at plus-5.8.
Solely UC San Diego and Merrimack are higher.
The Golden Eagles common 9.1 steals per recreation, led by elite on-ball defender Stevie Mitchell’s 2.3 per contest.
They strain the ball and switch turnovers into transition alternatives.
In some methods, they’re a mirror picture of St. John’s on the defensive finish.
Painter’s tape
Shaka Good’s staff has one main weak point: The paint.
It lacks a real rim protector and struggles defending the defensive glass.
It was second to final within the convention in defensive rebounding share at 68.4.
Beginning heart Ben Gold is understood extra for his means to stretch opposing defenses along with his 3-point shot than his rebounding prowess.
St. John’s ahead Zuby Ejiofor harm Marquette in Saturday’s matchup, notching 17 factors and 12 rebounds, and the game-winning shot on the additional time buzzer.
