It’s no secret that the St. John’s basketball team struggled against the size, physicality, and athleticism of Arkansas last season during its NCAA Tournament loss and one of the biggest adjustments it made in the offseason was adding Dillon Mitchell.
Mitchell is everything that the Johnnies were lacking a year ago with his size, frame, motor, and athletic ability. He’s already proven that he can make an impact against good teams but Saturday’s tilt with Kentucky is a different beast.
The Wildcats can throw body after body at St. John’s with one player seemingly having more athleticism than the previous. It also could be the debut of Kentucky standout center Jayden Quaintance, who tore his ACL in February while playing for Arizona State.
Regardless of Quaintance’s status, it will put a spotlight on Mitchell – and the rest of the Red Storm frontcourt – to help withstand a Wildcat team that needs to get into the paint to score since it has been ice cold from 3-point range, shooting 32.2-percent as a team.
“We got a lot of guys who are athletic and lengthy,” Mitchell said on Thursday afternoon.
“I think we are very versatile just matching up with a lot of different teams and obviously the SEC is one conference that’s known for that length and athleticism, but I think, for the most part, we can match up with it.”
Mitchell has risen to the occasion against the best competition the Red Storm have played this season, going for 12 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks against Iowa State and 18 points, six rebounds, and six assists against Baylor.
In the SEC, he recently posted seven points, seven rebounds, and three steals against Ole Miss and seven points, four rebounds, and four assists against Alabama. Like the rest of the team, he struggled against Auburn with only four points, four rebounds, and four assists.
However, Rick Pitino still has questions about his forwards after his recent challenge to Bryce Hopkins to become a more aggressive and assertive player.
“I think our biggest weakness right now…is a lack of physicality,” he said. “And we’re working on it.”
“We’re still not overly physical. Bryce [Hopkins] and Dillon [Mitchell], they need to hit people more.”
There are no concerns surrounding Zuby Ejiofor, who became the first Big East player to record at least 20 blocks in a three-game span since Chris Obekpa in 2013 and remains the motor of this St. John’s team.
“We can match up with every conference,” Mitchell added. “We’re also big as well and can run up-and-down. It’s definitely a big part of why I came [to St. John’s] and just seeing the different ways I can help this team going up against different competition.”