VILLANOVA, Pa. – This isn’t about February, it’s about March. This isn’t about regular-season finales, it’s about the start of the second season.
On the surface, St. John’s game at Villanova today would seem to hold more meaning for the home team. The Wildcats (19-9 overall, 9-8 Big East) are almost virtually assured an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament.
But a win over St. John’s removes all doubt. A win over St. John’s gives the Wildcats a 20-win season. A win over St. John’s makes Senior Day complete for John Celestand, Howard Brown and Rafal Bigus.
”I told our kids this is great, this is why you came to Villanova,” said Wildcats coach Steve Lappas. ”How many teams get to play a nationally ranked team on national television with a chance to get their 20th win of the season? It doesn’t get any better than this.”
It makes you wonder what the Red Storm (23-6 overall, 14-3 in the Big East) have to play for. Makes you wonder what’s the motivation for a team that’s guaranteed a high seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
”For them [Villanova], it has all the flavor of March,” said St. John’s coach Mike Jarvis. ”Our kids have to make it March in their minds. That’s one of the things I like about this team. A lot of kids might back off at this time of the season. Not this team. They play.”
St. John’s needs one player in particular to play and play well. Bootsy Thornton has struggled since suffering a severely sprained left thumb in the waning moments of the team’s win at West Virginia on Feb. 9.
Thornton is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 15.6 points per game. But over the last four games, Thornton’s offensive game has suffered. He’s averaged just 9.2 points per game and has converted just 17-of-41 field-goal attempts. He’s coming off a four-point effort against Notre Dame in which his only two field goals were layups.
”It’s really hurt his mechanics,” said Jarvis. ”He’s not following through, and that’s something he has to work through.”
Thornton’s injury, according to Jarvis, will not heal until after the season, when he can take 4-6 weeks off and undergo rehabilitation. So sitting out today’s game won’t significantly help Thornton in the upcoming Big East and NCAA Tournaments.
”It looks like he’s been off, especially on his 3-point shot,” said Lappas. ”But Lavor Postell and Tyrone Grant have stepped up their game. That’s one of the signs of a really good team.”
St. John’s beat Villanova 82-75 two weeks ago in the Garden. That was Grant’s first game back since suffering a fractured right thumb in January. He responded with 13 points and 17 rebounds. Postell had 16 points and eight boards.
The Red Storm do have some motivation, aside from the fact that no one wants to lose on national television. A St. John’s win coupled with a Miami loss at home to Rutgers today would give the Red Storm the second seed in the Big East tournament. If both teams win, Miami gets the second seed.
Villanova can gain one added benefit from beating St. John’s. The Wildcats have suffered some brutal losses of late, a 103-82 blowout at Miami and a 90-84 overtime setback to Providence. Villanova needs its ego massaged.
”I think that if you can beat St. John’s, you can beat any team in the country,” said Lappas. ”Kids go into games thinking they can win every time, but not until you’re tied or down three with four minutes to go against a quality team and win do you know for sure. This game can do a lot for us.”
More than it can for St. John’s.