Players St. John's basketball should be wary of entering Big East Tournament

A handful of players could case the Red Storm nightmares at Madison Square Garden

Feb 3, 2024; New York, New York, USA;  Connecticut Huskies guard Cam Spencer (12) brings the ball up
Feb 3, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Cam Spencer (12) brings the ball up | Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
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4. Baylor Scheierman (Creighton Bluejays)

Baylor Scheierman is as scary of a player the Big East offers with how prolific he can hit 3-pointers.

Similar to Devin Carter, St. John's can only see Scheierman if both teams advance to the Big East Tournament Championship but the Red Storm do not want to see if he can correct his shooting inside The Garden.

In St. John's victory over Creighton in late February, which gave the team a pulse to try and secure an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, Scheierman had just 12 points on 1-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. He missed his last nine attempts from beyond the arc.

That doesn't happen often and it rarely happens multiple times against the same opponent.

Back when the teams met in January, which was a Creighton victory, he had 17 points but again struggled from 3-point range, making just 1-of-6 attempts.

Baylor Scheierman is averging 18.5 points per game on 37.9-percent shooting from 3-point range and as a All-Big East First Team selection, if you give him enough tries, he will make you pay.

3. Tyler Kolek (Marquette Golden Eagles)

Tyler Kolek is still giving St. John's nightmares from his performance in Milwaukee.

Last season's Big East Player of the Year almost single handily erased a 15-point Red Storm lead and turned it into an 11-point Marquette victory with 27 points, seven rebounds, and 13 assists on 11-of-17 shooting from the field and 5-of-8 from 3-point range.

Every time he touched the ball in the second half, something good happened for the Golden Eagles. It was as good of a performance that you would see in college basketball this season.

However, Kolek carries a major asterisk into this season's Big East Tournament.

He suffered an oblique injury in Marquette's blowout victory against Providence on February 28, which limited him to only 18 minutes in that game and to miss the final three games of the regular season.

The team said he would be reevaluated before the Big East Tournament but there has been no update on his status.

If St. John's were to see him, it would also be in the championship game. Trying to slow him down would be a tall task for the Johnnies, but it would come with a lot of intrigue after Tyler Kolek called the Red Storm's defense "barbecue chicken" after his sensational performance in February.