Good teams find ways to win games when circumstances are difficult and that’s what the St. John’s basketball team is doing nearly every night.
Its latest rendition was Saturday against Villanova, overcoming a shoulder sprain suffered by star guard Deivon Smith and multiple second half rallies by the Wildcats.
The Johnnies used seven 3-pointers, a rarity for this squad, in addition to a relentless motor on the offense glass to turn 17 offensive rebounds into 15 second chance points as well as efficient free throw shooting to secure the victory.
Smith sat for a majority of the second half and St. John’s looked lost without him. A 4-point lead with 9:12 remaining felt like a much larger deficit than it was, but this version of the Johnnies had an answer – as it usually does.
St. John’s responded again, just like it did against Providence, Butler, Creighton, and Xavier, when Villanova tied the game with 4:19 to play, holding an efficient offense to just one made basket for the rest of the game.
It’s been a pattern for this team since returning from the Bahamas after a disappointing 1-2 weekend, they find ways to win games in difficult circumstances. It’s only loss over the time is a 1-point defeat on the road against the Bluejays when two shots wouldn’t fall inside the final ten seconds.
Even in the Bahamas, St. John's responded less than 24 hours after a double overtime buzzer-beating loss to Baylor with a dominant 25-point victory over Virginia.
Despite its deficiencies, St. John’s is three possessions away from being a Top-10 team in the nation and doesn’t get nearly enough credit for it. It’s versatility and mental toughness will only serve this team for the better as the season progresses.
“We have that hustle and that grit to just play hard,” RJ Luis said after the victory over Villanova.
“Even if the shots aren't falling like you guys are going to see on paper, saying that our three-point percentage is lacking, but I think it's scary because we were winning these big games and we're not shooting the ball well. I just feel like the sky's the limit. We just need to keep playing hard as a group.”
The way in which the Johnnies were winning felt unsustainable after shooting 9-of-65 from 3-point range in its first four conference wins before making 7-of-24 against the Wildcats, but perhaps it is sustainable with its offensive rebounding and defense.
Maybe this team can overcome those shooting troubles, although it seems likely that these players will eventually find its touch from the outside.
“I’ve never seen anything in my lifetime like this,” Rick Pitino explained after St. John’s defeated Xavier on the road while hitting just two 3-pointers. “Nothing even close to it.”
“Get the rebound, play basketball, win the game. It’s all that counts,” he continued about his message to the team.
Maybe that should be the motto of the Red Storm moving forward because whatever they’re doing right now is working and St. John’s (14-3, 5-1 Big East) will hope it continues Tuesday night (7:30 p.m. ET, Peacock) inside Madison Square Garden when it renews its rivalry with Georgetown (12-4, 3-2 Big East).