Don’t look now but St. John’s looks ready for a breakout season.
The Red Storm, blew by Big Ten opponent Nebraska, 70-50, in a Gavitt game matchup at Carnesecca Arena to improve its record to 4-0.
The Johnnies may have lost their two leading scorers– Julian Champagnie and Aaron Wheeler, but this still is arguably the most talented team Mike Anderson has had since arriving in Queens four years ago.
Senior center Joel Soriano, a hulkiing 6-11, 260 pound 2021-22 transfer from Fordham, led St. John’s with 17 points, 18 rebounds, and three blocks, dominating play inside. Forward David Jones, a transfer from DePaul, had 15, all in the second half. Guard Posh Alexander had 13 and point guard Andre Cubelo had seven assists.
Alexander has a shot at being a first team All Big East selection if he improves his three point shooting and Curbelo, a former Long Island Lutheran star and a transfer from Illinois, could be an impact player if he can duplicate his play as a freshman in the Big Ten and play under control. If the two point guards mesh, the Johnnies could have one of the best backcourts in the conference.
The Johnnies have not won an NCAA Tournament game in 23 years but the Big East is more fluid than ever with as many as eight teams capable of challenging defending Big East tournament champion Villanova on any given night. .
St. John’s rallied from an uncomfortable first half where they trailed 27-20 to score 24 of the first 30 points in the second half when they finally found the range from beyond the arc. They poured in 50 points in the second half when a suffocating defense held Nebraska to just 25 percent shooting. We should know more about this team Monday when they play Temple in Brooklyn at 9:30 p.m.
