 |  |
On paper tonight's slate of Sweet Sixteen games look more compelling than last night's games, which were actually quite entertaining. As a recap, Iowa took down Nebraska in the game's final minute, Purdue survived with a last-second tip in against a difficult Texas team, and Illinois "Out-Houstoned" Houston during a gritty and ugly game. With the exception of Arizona's blowout of Arkansas, the Sweet Sixteen has been very nerve-wracking so far. Expect tonight's games to follow a similar script, with one potential blowout and three tight games. Let's begin with the first game of the evening, St. John's versus Duke. Make the jump to read some connections, memories, and final predictions for the Johnnies and the Dookies.
Last Night's Recap of the Sweet Sixteen
| | |
Tonight's Schedule for the Sweet Sixteen
Game #53: (1) Duke vs. (5) St. John's, 6:10 p.m. (CT) on CBS
Game #54: (1) Michigan vs. (4) Alabama, 6:30 p.m. (CT) on TBS/truTV
Game #55: (2) UCONN vs. (3) Michigan State, 8:45 p.m. (CT) on CBS
Game #56: (2) Iowa State vs. (6) Tennessee, 9:10 p.m. (CT) on TBS/truTV
Game #54: (1) Michigan vs. (4) Alabama, 6:30 p.m. (CT) on TBS/truTV
Game #55: (2) UCONN vs. (3) Michigan State, 8:45 p.m. (CT) on CBS
Game #56: (2) Iowa State vs. (6) Tennessee, 9:10 p.m. (CT) on TBS/truTV
Game #53: (5) St. John's vs. (1) Duke, 6:10 p.m. (CT) on CBS
How St. John's and Duke Got to the Sweet Sixteen
The Johnnies overwhelmed #13 Northern Iowa during a swift first-round victory and controlled second-round opponent Kansas with its physicality and defense, though the Red Storm needed a Dylan Darling buzzer-beating layup to hold off a furious Jayhawks' comeback. Looking like the shakiest #1 seed before Florida's shocking loss to Iowa, Duke rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit against #16 Siena, finally taking the lead and control of the game with about five minutes left. In its second-round victory against TCU, Duke finally woke up with about 16 minutes remaining, overwhelming the Horned Frogs' with its size.
| | |
| | |
St. John's Ideal Path to the Final Four
- Overwhelm Duke with its physicality.
- Avoid UCONN (it's hard to beat a conference opponent three times in one season).
- Win a grinder against Michigan State.
Duke's Ideal Path to the Final Four
- Outlast St. John's pressure.
- Avoid UCONN.
- Defeat a less-talented Michigan State team.
NCAA Tournament Memories of St. John's vs. Duke
Before Duke would shock undefeated UNLV during the 1991 Final Four, the Blue Devils took down the Johnnies in the Elite Eight, 78-61. Duke also defeated St. John's in the second round of the 1990 NCAA Tournament. In 1979, St. John's defeated Duke in the second round. I am not going to pretend that I remember any of those games, though I have watched the 1990 and 1991 tourney games on YouTube throughout the years. When I think of Duke-St. John's, I think of a 2000 game when St. John's upset Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. This was a weirdly-scheduled game, near the end of conference season. That Duke team was led by Shane Battier, Chris Carrawell, and a bunch of freshman (Jay Williams, Mike Dunleavy, Jr., and Carlos Boozer). That 2000 Duke team reminds of this year's Duke team beyond having Boozer's children, Cameron and Cayden, on the squad. Both Duke teams seemed a bit too young to win it all. Anyways, St. John's took it to Duke on this day, thanks to the play of late-nineties favorites Bootsy Thornton and Erick Barkley.
| | | |
Beating St. John's Has Foreshadowed Duke National Titles
Did you know that during Duke's national championship seasons of 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010 and 2015, the Blue Devils had beaten St. John's at some point during each of those seasons?
| | | |
Memorable Sweet Sixteen Game - Red Storm Defeat Maryland
St. John's hasn't been to the Sweet Sixteen since 1999. During that season, the #3 Red Storm played a great Sweet Sixteen game against #2 Maryland, with star Ron Artest going up against Maryland sensation Steve Francis. I remember watching this game, which took place on the bright-orange court of the Tennessee Volunteers. That St. John's team was quite tough and fun to watch. Sadly for St. John's, the Red Storm would lose a close Elite Eight game against #4 Ohio State, which would lose to eventual national champion UCONN in the Final Four.
| | |
Memorable Duke Sweet Sixteen Game - Too Many to Remember
Contrary to my Duke smack talking, you might be surprised to know I was a Duke fan growing up on the northwest side of Chicago. In fact, I would often go to summer basketball camps at Weber High School, where Mike Krzyzewski played. I even met Coach K at a coaching clinic my senior year of high school, with the Duke Head Coach being very gracious and signing a basketball for me. My feelings about Duke changed when I was in college, with the J.J. Redick teams always rubbing me wrong. With that said, I do have fond memories of Duke as a child. One Sweet Sixteen game that really stands out is Duke's 1994 victory against Marquette, which was leading for most of the second half. Ironically enough, that game was also played on Tennessee's bright-orange court. Another Sweet Sixteen game of note was Duke's victory against SW Missouri State during the 1999 NCAA Tournament. That 1998-99 Duke team was the best Blue Devils' team to never win it all, and I was surprised that SW Missouri State relatively hung with the Blue Devils. I couldn't find that game on YouTube so here is a classic Duke-St. John's game from that 1999 season.
| | |
Prediction: Duke
In my original predictions, I have St. John's winning this game, getting out of the East and reaching the title game. However, after watching St. John's against Kansas, I am very worried about the Red Storm offense, specifically its outside shooting. While I am confident St. John's will muck up the game with its full-court pressure, I am leery that tight officiating will have the Red Storm saddled with the fouls. Duke is expected to have point guard Caleb Foster back, and the Blue Devils will need him. Ultimately, this Duke team seems very vulnerable, and I wouldn't be surprised if St. John's wins. However, Duke seems due for a better game and will win a close game that will probably end up around 8 - 10 points. If St. John's is allowed to exact its physicality, especially Zuby Ejiafor against Cameron Boozer in the post, the Red Storm will have a great chance. However, I'd be stunned if the game is allowed to be that physical, thus, I am reluctantly picking Duke tonight with an amended revision of my original prediction.
RSS Feed