Game Day Essentials: Game #3 vs St Johns

[hhcmatt]

Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-0) at St. John's Red Storm (3-0)

 

Date: Thursday Nov 17,  2022
Time: 5:30 pm
Arena: Carnesecca Arena, Queens, NY

TV Broadcast:  FS1

St. Johns

 

Head Coach: Mike Anderson
Location: Jamaica, NY (Queens)
Conference: Big East
Nickname: Officially: Red Storm. Unofficially: Johnnies, Redmen
Mascots: Johnny Thunderbird
Last time out: Beat Central Connecticut

Opening Line: St. Johns by 11

Other:  

• 2nd ever meeting between Nebraska and St. Johns. The Johnnies rolled the Huskers back in 2017, 79-56
• Former B1G players in Illinois' Andre Curbelo and Rutgers' Montez Mathis are on this team
• This matchup is part of the Gavitt Games, the early season series of games between the Big 10 and Big East. Nebraska is 1-3 all-time in these games.

 

Player to Watch: David Jones

Jones had a breakout season for DePaul last year and is making most everything this season, shooting 40% from 3 and 56.5% from 2.  At 6'6" he's also an above average rebounder and defender

 

KenPom Most Used Lineup

PG	SG	SF	PF	C	Pct
1	3 Andre Curbelo 6-1  175  Jr	0 Posh Alexander 6-0  200  Jr	10 Montez Mathis 6-4  210  Sr	23 David Jones 6-6  210  Jr	11 Joel Soriano 6-11  260  Sr	37.5

 

(Had more of a writeup but my computer ate it )

Here is a rip though from memory: Alexander and Curbelo can't shoot from outside, both are PGs and are problems on defense. Soriano plays 20 or so minutes, they have a 6'8" Forward and a raw 7'1" center as part of the rotation. Mathis doesn't shoot much but has been making most of them this season, a new thing for him. AJ Storr has a weird shot but he makes corner 3s. Dylan Addae-Wusu is a 6'4" 230# bowling ball that makes 3s.

St John's Game Notes

 

 

Probable starters for Nebraska
5    Sam Griesel    G    6-7
25  Emmanuel Bandoumel    G    6-4

0   C.J. Wilcher    G    6-5

4   Juwan Gary  F  6-6

15   Blaise Keita C   6-11

 

Bench

30  Keisei Tominaga    G    6-2

32  Wilhelm Breidenbach    F    6-10

10  Jamarques Lawrence - G  6-3

12  Denim Dawson - F  6-6

33  Oleg Kojenets    F    7-0
12   Sam Hoiberg    G    6-0

31  Cale Jacobsen  G  6-4

35  Henry Burt  F  6-6

24  Jeffrey Grace III  G  6-3
* 13  Derrick Walker    F    6-9

 

Injured

3   Quaran McPherson   G   6-3 - Out for the Year

 

Redshirting

2    Ramel Lloyd   G  6-6

 

*Unavailable 

 

The Skinny: 

Long time coach Mike "40 Minutes of Hell" Anderson is in his 4th year at St Johns and still runs his up-tempo offense/pressure defense in an attempt to wear you down. Anderson returns what is likely his most talented and experienced team in NY in what is also likely a make or break season.  It's been an up and down 3 years for Anderson who has yet to make the tourney at this basketball school.

 

Thus far the Johnnies have been fairly unimpressive in 3 tune-up games, needing to turn it on after halftime in the last couple.  Give Anderson credit for the adjustments though as St Johns came out and punished Lafayette inside and threw a zone at Central Connecticut to put those games away. At no point should the Huskers feel safe in a close game as Anderson will have some sort of wrinkle ready to go.

 

The Nebraska guards have done a decent job taking care of the ball but you have to wonder just how cool under pressure Griesel and/or Bando will be when the Red Storms' small pesky guards aggressively try to force mistakes. If they can handle it, there are backdoor points or wide open shots to be found.  Not sure how often Nebraska will be able to post up those smaller guards as St Johns likes to switch in their man defense. Look for the Huskers to attempt to be methodical on offense while hoping to bait St Johns to take bad mid-range shots defensively; likely we see some zone from Nebraska to test out St John's outside shooting.

 

I think Nebraska has a puncher's chance in this game as St John's is likely to blow at least a few games this season and why not this one against a Husker squad that's had a week to gameplan. In order to win, Nebraska will have to weather a few runs in the bandbox that is Carnesecca Arena.  Look for Nebraska to stay in this game but simply not have the juice to keep up with the Redmen on the road.

 

Prediction: St John's 80 - Nebraska 73

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[hhctony]

I think it's Game 3 vs. St. John's, @hhcmatt. 

[basketballjones]

I predicted in a loss in our HHC Competition, but listening to a breakdown of this team, I am not so sure we aren't the perfect team to beat them. They're good at guard, but there's a high-likelihood of chemistry issues with these guys, and they kind of require to speed you up to score. I can't see a team speeding Sam up very well. I think if we keep this game slow and limit open looks from 3, we could win a game in the 60s. 

[aphilso1]

8 minutes ago, basketballjones said:

I predicted in a loss in our HHC Competition, but listening to a breakdown of this team, I am not so sure we aren't the perfect team to beat them. They're good at guard, but there's a high-likelihood of chemistry issues with these guys, and they kind of require to speed you up to score. I can't see a team speeding Sam up very well. I think if we keep this game slow and limit open looks from 3, we could win a game in the 60s. 

 

Usually I see the games somewhat similarly to you, but not this time.  Lack of ball handlers is going to really bite us tonight.  The Johnnies are certainly ripe for a few upsets this year, but I don't think we are the team to do it.

[NUdiehard]

Can this team, which is relatively devoid of solid ballhandlers, handle the press and pressure defense of SJU?  Griesel may have to play 40 minutes tonight because Bando may really struggle bringing the ball up against their pressure defense.  Of course, playing that many minutes is not realistic against a team that plays a frenetic uptempo style.  Can the Huskers effectively pass the ball to break the press?  It will help that we are taller than SJU because we can at least pass over the press.

 

How will our larger guards be able to guard their smaller and quicker guards?  This game will test our ability to cut off penetration, and if we give up penetration and have to help, will the other defenders effectively rotate? It will be interesting to see who guards who.  David Jones is their most dynamic player/scorer and as a 6'6" PF he seems to be a perfect match up for Gary.  But this means either or both of Griesel and Wilcher are going to have to guard one of their smaller guard.  Can they keep up?  This will be a good test.

 

Can our guards use their height advantage? If Griesel is guarded by one of their smaller guards, can he back them down or post them up?  Or will SJU's center be a rim protector that will prevent him from being to get to the rim?

 

How will NU handle the tempo.  I agree NU doesn't want to get too sped up.  By I also hate when teams allow the opponent to press and never attack the press.  The reason most teams don't press it because it is risky.  If your press isn't successful, the offensive team can "break the press" and get a quick open shot often at the rim.  If you don't ever attack the press, you effectively allow your opponent (SJU) to press and create an added difficultly for you without any ramifications or risks. 

 

When looking just at SJU's roster they look very talented:

 

-- Posh (6' 0" Guard) was 2022 All-Big East honorable mention and 2021 Big East Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. 

 

-- Curbelo (6'1" Guard) was 2021 All Big 10 Freshman team and Big 10 Sixth Man of the Year (and #44 rated recruit in class of 2020). 

 

--  Mathis (6'4" Guard)  has started 98 games in his career. 

 

-- Soriano (6'`11" Center)  has started 55 games; shot 57% from the field last year and is shooting 70% this year

 

--  Jones (6'6" Forward) Averaging 21 points and 7.5 rebounds this season and has scored in double figures in 11 of his past 12 games

 

Hopefully the collective is not as good as the sum of the parts.

[hhcmatt]

Generally speaking these Mike Anderson teams at St Johns don't tend to generate fouls which bodes well for keeping young WIlhelm in the game.