St. John’s basketball: Takeaways from disappointing result against Kansas

St. John’s basketball takeaways against No. 8 Kansas

The Crowd was Electric

St. John’s has yet to sell a game out this season but it sure felt like all the available seats were filled at UBS Arena on Friday night.

I have been critical of the crowd and atmosphere around St. John’s games this season, aside from the season opener against Mississippi Valley State, but the Johnnies faithful were just waiting to explode against No. 8 Kansas.

The crowd came to life when St. John’s cut the Kansas lead to five in the first half and three in the second half, on multiple occasions, but there was never that ‘pop’ from the fans like you would hear on a game tying or go-ahead shot in the second half.

St. John’s supporters trumped any sign of Jayhawk fans until the final minutes of the 20-point victory, an impressive feat for playing a blue-blood program.

The next time St. John’s has a crowd like that remains to be seen, given the schedule and performance of the team, but it certainly was a glimpse of what an atmosphere could be like for a Red Storm home game.

The Johnnies will play three more mid-majors before it faces Pittsburgh, one of the worst major conference teams this season, at Madison Square Garden in a two-game event before conference play begins.

Could the next raucous St. John’s crowd be December 23 against Butler? Possibly, but you cannot blame the St. John’s fans for not showing up on Friday night.