Eye on the Storm

Shades of the Auburn game in Las Vegas, it was another horrific second half where St. John's looked completely lost. Scoring would be nearly impossible for St. John's as a big Kentucky team got everything they were looking for. The Red Storm could only rely on the free throw line to score, as their last chance for a resume building win evaporated in Catlanta. Now St. John's must wear the title of being a major disappointment through 11 games of the season.

Zach Braziller of the New York Post and Kevin Connelly of StormThePaint.com join the podcast to give their takes from being in Atlanta as the worst case imaginable for St. John's when making a schedule like this has come to fruition. 

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St. John's opened conference play on Tuesday night in Queens with a 13 point win over DePaul. It was the Dylan Darling show as his 17 points powered St. John's to their first win in conference play. Backing that up was stellar defense for a third straight game, holding opponents to just 62 points per game. The Iona game was full of storylines, from Rick Pitino coaching his former team to Ian Jackson's haircut which led to much improved play as he gets the nod at starting PG. The Red Storm have rattled off three straight wins, as they build confidence for a huge game against Kentucky on 12/20.

Kevin Connelly of Storm the Paint joins the show for the first half to discuss the wins over Iona and DePaul..

(27:00) then we welcome on the voice of Kentucky Sports Radio, Matt Jones to preview the game against Kentucky. The history with Rick Pitino, Will Jayden Quaintance play, who has the match up edge and so much more !  

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It's the true definition of a win is a win as St. John's offense was anemic and thankfully Ole Miss was worse. Powered by Defense and 8 blocks by Zuby Ejiofor St. John's finally beat an SEC team for the first time since 2012. Poor shooting, rough half court offense and just an overall cold night for just about everyone following a 9 day break led to an ugly basketball night in front of almost 15,000 fans at MSG. Tons of questions still remain with this team as they improve to 5-3.

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The Red Storm came to Las Vegas with hopes of washing out the taste of the Alabama loss from their collective mouths. Match-ups with #15 Iowa State ended in a brutal one point loss. They bounced back against a solid Baylor team with a good win. And just as hope began to rise, the Red Storm blew an 11 point lead and dropped another in Sin City to #21 Auburn. There are many issues with this roster, makeup and overall identity. We discuss a failure of a trip, the ramifications and if this is salvageable for the rest of the season. 

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St. John's improved to 3-1 following a 33 points win over William and Mary and a 48 point win over Bucknell. Now they take that momentum to Las Vegas and the Players Era Festival where they will face #16 Iowa State, Baylor and a third team to be determined. It's the next big non conference test for Rick Pitino's year three squad and a vital barometer of where the squad is come Thanksgiving. We give our short takeaways from the two buy games and we preview Vegas with Jackson Pence who covers Iowa State for the Cyclone Fanatic.

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The Garden was rocking, the Johnnies had the lead in the second half, but the trio of Labaron Philon, Aden Holloway and Latrell Wrightsell Jr were too much for St. John's to withstand. The Red Storm offense scored 96 points, even with a low volume and poor three point output, but it's the defense that left many fans scratching their heads. Powered by Zuby Ejiofor's All-American like 27 points and 10 rebound performance it took until the second half for the guards to get going. Alabama got great product from Taylor Bol Bowen to supplement the firepower from the guards at every turn. 

So St. John's loses their first big game of the season, one of potentially six big non conference games, we discuss what needs to improve quickly if this team is to make noise later this season. We're joined this episode by Charles Branch of the Crimson Crossover Podcast covering Alabama.

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In their first game of the season, St. John's certainly looked the part of a top 5 team in the country. St. John's had five players score in double figures, 12 total Johnnies notched points, and it was a dominant effort start to finish with a 108-74 win over the Quinnipiac Bobcats. Led by Dillon Mitchell and Zuby Ejiofor the big men in the paint set the tone. Ian Jackson was perfect from the floor, for 15 points and adding three triples. Ayo, Darling and Sanon all contributed greatly as St. John's kept their foot on the gas until the clock read 0:00. 

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As we embark on a new season, the possibilities are endless. Ranked as a top 5 team by the Associated Press to start the season expectations are plentiful. The top transfer portal class in the sport resides in Queens and with a Hall of Fame coach at the helm, these aren’t the same old Johnnies.

Following a 31-5 season, a Big East conference title and Big East Tournament title, a win in the NCAA tournament, winning is not optional anymore it’s expected. One last episode before the games count for real as David Berov lays out the new normal in Queens and why dreams that were once delusions of grandeur are now very much reality.

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It took an extra period in front of over 13,000 fans at MSG on Saturday October 25th but St. John's fell to Michigan 96-94 in their final tune up of the preseason. It felt like March, as the number 5 preseason team in the country faced off against the number 7 team, and the results certainly followed. Monster games from Zuby Ejiofor and his forward counterpart on the Wolverines in one time Johnnie Yaxel Lendeborg. 

We discuss the major takeaways, the good and bad, the outlook for the rest of the season and more. From the guard play, to Ian Jackson and how Dylan Darling and Lefty stepped up big time. How this front court will power the Johnnies all year and the expectations that come with it all. The season starts on November 3rd!

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The season is fast approaching and you can smell the basketball in the air. On October 8th the media was invited to Madison Square Garden to watch St. John's practice and scrimmage in the place they will call home in three weeks time. Joined by Zach Braziller of the New York Post, Roger Rubin of Newsday and Kevin Connelly of Storm the Paint, the three were in attendance to see the progress Rick Pitino's year 3 club has made. We discuss the major takeaways, who stood out, potential starts, quotes from the day and plenty more.

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