I think St. John's will be competitive.

[muwarrior69]

Watched the game on ESPNU. They started out slow but came back in the second half. God's Gift will be a good addition to their team this year. Too bad Buzz could not get him.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201111070534

[Marqus Howard]

Their issue will be that they only have a seven man rotation, and they like to press. I don't know how long that will last in big east play. They also shot terribly from the free throw line, and that won't help them either.

[g0lden3agle]

They turned things around in the 2nd half when they realized "holy crap, we are 10 times more athletic than the most athletic guy on their team".  They then proceeded to force turnovers on seemingly every possession for a majority of the 2nd half.  If a team can protect the ball and force them into their half court set they are going to have a hard time scoring.

[Silkk the Shaka]

God'sgift and D'Angelo Harrison looked good.  Two guys we barely missed out on.  Oh well, we'll just have to beat them soundly this year so they realize what a terrible mistake they made.  So glad college basketball is back!

[MarquetteDano]

Talented or not, if the Keady/Lavin connection can get this team in the tourney, they have to be in the coach of the year running (could they give co-coach of the years since we know Keady is the brains?  )

This is a young team that has never really played together.  I am not saying they can't get to the NCAA's, but getting there will take more than just talent.

[Clam Crowder]

Won't the player at the 5 for them be about Hayward's size???

[Nukem2]

I think the thing with SJU is that the real coach of the team is Mike Dunlap.  Lavin is the recruiter with Dunlap the Xs and Os guy and Keady as a strategy guy.  Kind of a 3-headed HC.  If Lavin was doing ther coaching, this team would not fare well.  ( and, yes, I realize Lavin is still out ). 

[Dawson Rental]

Won't the player at the 5 for them be about Hayward's size???

6'8', 236 is bigger than Lazar was for us.

[Dawson Rental]

Q: At St. John's, how do you know when you're in the coach's doghouse?

A: When you play only 18 minutes a game.

[bilsu]

I expect St. John's to be successful in non-conference season. However, when they get to Big East play they will fall off the cliff.

[Eye]

After watching last night I'd think 13th is too low for them in the BE. A couple spots higher seems about right. Would probably be a team that'd be better making a run and playing some postseason games in the NIT anyways. Game at UK in a few weeks might get ugly. Games against Arizona and either A&M/Miss. St at the Garden next week ought to be a better gauge of where they're at in the big picture.

[wojosdojo]

After catching most of Monday nights game and seeing the score of their win tonight I don't really know if they'll be that competitive. They looked lost Monday (even though its the first game and w/o Lavin) and winning by 5 tonight is not a promising start. Godsgift was the only Johnny to really  look solid.

[brewcity77]

I expect St. John's to be successful in non-conference season. However, when they get to Big East play they will fall off the cliff.

They've got Arizona, Kentucky, and Detroit still on their non-conference. Not to mention Duke and UCLA as non-con games once the Big East season starts. They scraped by against the #170 and #149 teams in KenPom's ratings. Not bad teams, but nowhere near the class they will face before long. Many have picked Providence as the worst team in the Big East, and they are ranked #112 by Pomeroy. I'm not saying it's the be-all, but these are some of the worst teams they'll see all season. Let's see how good they look when they are up against Kentucky, Syracuse, UConn, and Marquette.

Still think they're bottom three in the Big East.

[Skatastrophy]

After catching most of Monday nights game and seeing the score of their win tonight I don't really know if they'll be that competitive. They looked lost Monday (even though its the first game and w/o Lavin) and winning by 5 tonight is not a promising start. Godsgift was the only Johnny to really  look solid.

They were down by 10 the entire game last night.  It was a pretty impressive comeback at the end, not that they should have stayed down the entire game. 

[nyg]

After catching most of Monday nights game and seeing the score of their win tonight I don't really know if they'll be that competitive. They looked lost Monday (even though its the first game and w/o Lavin) and winning by 5 tonight is not a promising start. Godsgift was the only Johnny to really  look solid.

Even though the competition was not BE caliber, Godsgift is averaging 19 points and 9 rebounds thru first two games.  Impressive. 

[Abode4life]

This is also a really young team.  I don't think they will break the top half of the big east, but i would not be surprised if they step up for one or two big games as the season progresses and come through with some surprise Ws.

[Golden Avalanche]

Even though the competition was not BE caliber, Godsgift is averaging 19 points and 9 rebounds thru first two games.  Impressive. 

In the limited action so far he looks like a guy who will feast on the smaller teams in the post and then the Big East will force him off the block into jumpers which I don't think he can knock down. Wouldn't be shocked if he starts hot and fades.

[Silkk the Shaka]

In the limited action so far he looks like a guy who will feast on the smaller teams in the post and then the Big East will force him off the block into jumpers which I don't think he can knock down. Wouldn't be shocked if he starts hot and fades.

Did you see him play?  I watched the majority of both games and the guy is GOOD.  The announcers last night said he has an 87" wingspan (someone correct me if I'm wrong, that seemed ridiculous if true), allowing him to play taller than he actually is.  He's got a nose for the ball, good defensive instincts, good hands and footwork, and is JACKED.  He'd be starting at MU this year.  Now I don't think he'll put up 19/9 every night in the Big East, but if he averaged 12/7 or better shooting 55%+ from the field I wouldn't be shocked at all.  That would be better than any center we've had at MU since Robert Jackson, btw.

I'll gladly go to war with Otule/Gardner two headed monster though.  This will be the best production we see out of the center position since the final four year.

[Golden Avalanche]

Did you see him play?  I watched the majority of both games and the guy is GOOD.  The announcers last night said he has an 87" wingspan (someone correct me if I'm wrong, that seemed ridiculous if true), allowing him to play taller than he actually is.  He's got a nose for the ball, good defensive instincts, good hands and footwork, and is JACKED.  He'd be starting at MU this year.  Now I don't think he'll put up 19/9 every night in the Big East, but if he averaged 12/7 or better shooting 55%+ from the field I wouldn't be shocked at all.  That would be better than any center we've had at MU since Robert Jackson, btw.

I'll gladly go to war with Otule/Gardner two headed monster though.  This will be the best production we see out of the center position since the final four year.

I watched both games start to finish. Never said he wasn't a good talent. Clearly is. How many elbow's did you see him knock down? How many step backs? Not much there. That was the knock on him. Didn't need to develop outside the lane since he can overpower inside it.

It will be fun to see him challenged against more typical athletes like he'll see against Arizona and Kentucky not to mention the size he'll see against Cuse and Conn. Plus, remember, he wasn't really challenged defensively with someone putting pressure on him to avoid foul trouble.

Bottom line for me is great start but a long slog ahead.