It’s the first Sweet 16 appearance for the St. John’s basketball team since 1999 and nothing will come easy for the Johnnies as they travel to Washington D.C. for a matchup with the top overall seed Duke Blue Devils.
Duke rolled through the regular season with a 29-2 record, losing both of its games by a combined four points, and although the postseason has not been as easy for the Blue Devils due to a pair of injuries, they have still shown its dominance in flashes over the last two weeks.
Standout center Patrick Ngongba returned from a three-week absence due to a foot injury in the Round of 32 and is expected to continue to play throughout the remainder of the NCAA Tournament while starting point guard Caleb Foster is not expected to be on the floor until at least next week as he recovers from a fractured foot suffered on March 7.
In the meantime, Duke has relied on its superstar, Cameron Boozer, and flamethrower wing, Isaiah Evans, to shoulder the scoring expectations and they have delivered.
Boozer will be the runaway winner of the National Player of the Year and a likely Top 5 pick in June’s NBA Draft while Evans is vastly improved from his freshman season and is also expected to be picked in the first-round pick.
However, there are several other key players that the Red Storm will have to deal with on Friday night when the team’s take the floor that could be pivotal in the outcome of the game.
Here are some things St. John’s must do in order to beat Duke:
Put Pressure on Cayden Boozer
Cayden Boozer has filled in admirably for the injured Caleb Foster and, perhaps, has played much better than anyone anticipated.
He’s averaging 13.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game in the six contests while only committing 1.8 turnovers and his numbers have gotten better in the NCAA Tournament against Siena and TCU but he has yet to face a defense or pressure like he will against St. John’s.
Most teams have been playing off Boozer due to his poor 3-point shooting and allowing him to freely operate on the perimeter in order to get another body in the paint to contend with Duke’s frontcourt and he’s taken advantage.
The space he’s been given by opponents going under screens has allowed him to drive to the basket and he’s proven to be a great finisher around the rim.
He’s not the catalyst for Duke’s offense but if the Red Storm can put pressure on him for 94 feet, it could lead to careless turnovers like it generated against Kansas.
Isaiah Evans is the Biggest Matchup Nightmare
When you break down the two teams, it feels like St. John’s has the potential to matchup with Duke outside of the matchup with Isaiah Evans. Evans is not afraid to shoot it from anywhere as soon as he crosses midcourt.
55-percent of his made field goals come from 3-point range but in the NCAA Tournament he’s only shooting 4-of-16 from deep.
Dillon Mitchell is a candidate to guard him, putting size and length to try and limit the sharpshooter, but he also could be needed to contend with Duke’s frontcourt size. Bryce Hopkins could find himself on Isaiah Evans in situations, but the quickness of Evans could be too much for Hopkins to handle.
When Evans scores it gives Duke a bust of energy like no other player on its roster. He carries himself with a big personality and his teammates thrive off of that.
St. John’s cannot let him get hot early because it could turn into a long day for its defense.
Don’t let Duke’s Role Players Have Major Impact
It’s expected Duke is going to get big games from its stars of Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans because they are they good.
However, when the Blue Devils have been in fights this season, it is typically the role players that have come through with big performances like Nikolas Khamenia, Dame Sarr, or Maliq Brown.
When Duke was on the road against Michigan State, Khamenia delivered a 10-point, 9-rebound performance. He added 14 points in the ACC Semifinals against Clemson and nine points in the title game against Virginia.
Sarr, known for his defensive versatility more than his offense, has shown he is a capable 3-point shooter and delivered a 4-for-7 shooting clinic from the outside against TCU on Saturday.
Brown is not a scorer but is efficient when doing so, notching 12 points against the Horned Frogs and shooting 76.7-percent on 2-point field goals this season.
St. John’s cannot afford to see one of the Blue Devil role players have a big offensive night alongside Boozer and Evans because it could spell the end of the season for the Red Storm.