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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2. Kadary Richmond (Seton Hall Pirates)

How about a player that St. John's will absolutely see at the Big East Tournament and it will come quickly in Seton Hall's Kadary Richmond.

Richmond is one of the big reasons why the Pirates are so successful. He has a calm demeanor but can snap at anytime and give his team a jolt.

He wasn't needed to score when Seton Hall defeated St. John's in his first matchup of the season, posting just 12 points, but it was all the other stuff he did by recording nine rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and three steals.

Richmond was named to the All-Big East First Team after posting career-highs in points (16.2), rebounds (6.6), assists (4.8), and steals (2.1) per game.

When Seton Hall erased a 19-point deficit against the Red Storm in February, Richmond had 18 points and 11 rebounds. He gets to the free throw line easily, something that has been a issue for the Johnnies this season.

It will be fascinating how Rick Pitino tries to slow down the Seton Hall point guard on Thursday afternoon (2:30 p.m. ET, FS1).

1. Cam Spencer (Connecticut Huskies)

There is no player in the Big East that Rick Pitino holds in a higher regard than Connecticut's Cam Spencer.

If it were up to Pitino, Spencer would be the unanimous Big East Player of the Year. That's how much respect and admiration he has for his game.

The Rutgers transfer has been the perfect addition to Dan Hurley's team and has been a thorn in the side of the Johnnies each time he has faced them, scoring 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting when the teams met in late December and 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting in February.

Both resulted in UConn victories.

Every time it looked like St. John's was going to get a stop during the second half of its rematch against the Huskies, Spencer was there for a big shot.

He's averaging 14.7 points per game on 45.1-percent shooting from 3-point range and while Connecticut has other sensational players like Tristen Newton, Alex Karaban, and Donovan Clingan, it's Spencer that is the most dangerous to an opposing team.

It should be a fun week of basketball inside The World's Most Famous Arena as a champion will be crowned once again in the iconic conference.