St. John?s travels without Marcus LoVett

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The Johnnies star guard remains sidelined with a knee injury.



According to reports from Zach Brazillier of the New York Post, St. John?s guard Marcus LoVett did not travel with the team to Arizona. However, he reports further that LoVett could rejoin the team in Los Angeles for a bout with Arizona State.


Chris Mullin?s bunch enters this pivotal west coast road trip with a 7-1 record. St. John?s will face a decent Grand Canyon team before battling the potent Sun Devils of Arizona State.

As the Red Storm eye a NCAA Tournament bid this year, winning two games out west would be huge for their r?sum?.

Specifically, a victory over Bobby Hurley?s Arizona State would be enormous. The Sun Devils are an up-tempo team that can outscore just about anyone. They shoot the ball well, they limit their turnovers, and they get teams out on the fast break. Out of their seven games, they have reached 90 points a total of six times. That includes hanging a 102 on a strong Xavier Musketeers club.

LoVett is a significant aspect of this St. John?s team. So far this season, he is averaging 15 points, two rebounds, and two assists per game. He provides the Red Storm with a much needed punch in the backcourt. His athleticism is tough for opponents to match. Furthermore, his aggressive defense gives opposing ball handlers many problems. His ability to create turnovers and transition opportunities is vital for the Johnnies defense. He averages about two steals per game.

Additionally, his absence leaves the St. John?s bench very thin. Without LoVett, the Johnnies will have to use an eight player rotation. This increases issues if the Johnnies come upon foul trouble. Potentially, this could warrant more passive defense to avoid picking up fouls.

Still, the Red Storm cannot make excuses. Playing well on this west coast trip is important with or without LoVett.

?It?s a huge opportunity,? said forward Marvin Clark to reporters about the trip. ?Both of these teams are both great scoring teams, so we are going to have to bring it defensively. We are going to have to bring a lot of grit. It?s a great opportunity to knock off a top-25 team, and see how we rank among the top-25.?

 

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Scouting Grand Canyon

The Antelopes are striving for respect in their fifth Division I season, all under former NBA guard Dan Majerle. The ?Lopes have had some big wins over the Mountain West?s San Diego State (twice) and the better teams in their conference (Cal State Bakersfield and New Mexico State), but they have never beaten a foe in a perennial multi-bid league.

Grand Canyon won 27 games in 2015-16 and 22 games in 2016-17, playing aggressive man-to-man defense that forced turnovers and kept opponents from shooting three-pointers. This season, the Antelopes are only allowing opponents to take 28% of their shots beyond the arc, and are holding opponents to 26% shooting from deep and 43% shooting inside.

The team forced turnovers on 26% of opponent possessions, eighth in the nation (St. John?s is currently third on a per-possession basis.)

Then again, the best opponent the Antelopes have run up against were the San Diego State Toreros, who beat GCU by 10 points on November 25th.

On offense, the Antelopes have had some struggles. They turn the ball over on 21% of their possessions (260th in the country), have not shot threes very well (31%), despite taking many from outside the arc, and tend not to seek offensive rebounds.

Dan Majerle commented after their last win over UC Riverside that ?our post game is nonexistent,? and noted the team?s struggles against zone defense.

Talent-wise, St. John?s should be a step faster than the Antelopes and a touch stronger - but they will need to watch out for the three-pointers.

Grand Canyon player notes

Guards

GCU has tended to look for three-pointers, led by senior guards Joshua Braun and Casey Benson. Both guards are locals. Benson, the starting point guard, transferred in from Oregon, where he has not yet found his deft shooting stroke from his Pac-12 days. He has gone 0/10 from beyond the arc in the last two contests.

Senior Shaq Carr has served as mostly a passer and defender, having taken only six shots on the season.

Forwards

Freshman center Roberts Blumbergs is 6?10? but plays as more of a stretch-four, shooting 60% of his shots from beyond the arc. He is only shooting 19% on three-pointers.

Forwards Keonta Vernon is a very good rebounder on both ends at 6?6?; he is more of a driver than a post player. Gerard Martin (6?7?) and Matt Jackson (6?8?) - both Australians - log minutes and look to be threats from outside the arc. Italian Alessandro Lever (6?10?) is a freshman who can rebound a little and shoots from distance as well. Kerwin Smith will also get some run as a rebounding forward who seeks his offense at the rim off of drives.

Wings

Oscar Frayer, a sophomore wing, has blossomed in his second year. He has score on nearly 60% of his shots inside the arc, is deft at stealing the ball despite being 6?7?. He has struggled with fouls in his last three games. Fiifi Aidoo is a Finnish guard/ wing who came with some fanfare; he?s a talented athlete with hops who has struggled to find his outside shooting stroke.

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Keys to contest

Make them shoot under pressure: St. John?s cannot allow Joshua Braun or Casey Benson to calmly set up for shots. The same active defense the Red Storm have played all year - now led by Justin Simon and Shamorie Ponds - will serve them well. The guards have been turnover-prone, as well, and this should benefit St. John?s.

Attack first: Starting with Ponds, the Johnnies will want to try to get inside and test the Antelopes? interior defense. Bashir Ahmed should have some chances to show off what he can do.

Watch the fouls: St. John?s only has eight players, and chasing a team filled with perimeter-shooting forwards could cause problems for the Red Storm.