College Basketball
College Hoops Preview: Xavier at St. John’s
- Matchup: Xavier Musketeers (15-13, 7-8 Big East) at St. John’s Red Storm (20-8, 8-7 Big East)
- Date: February 28, 2019
- Time: 6:30 p.m. (est)
- Network: FOX Sports 1
- Location: Queens, New York
- Venue: Carnesecca Arena
- Seating Capacity: 5,602
Big East Showdown
Tonight, Xavier will look to extend its 4-game winning streak when it takes on St. John’s Red Storm for the first time this season. The Red Storm are 4-2 in their last six games, including two impressive wins over Marquette and Villanova. Tonight’s action will signify a stretch in which both teams will play each other twice, in a three-game span, to cap off their seasons.
St. John’s Team Stats
Points per Game: 78.5
Opponent Points per Game: 73.3
Rebounds per Game: 33.7
Assists per Game: 14.4
Blocks per Game: 3.3
Field Goal Percentage: 45.6%
Xavier Team Stats
Points per Game: 71.8
Opponent Points per Game: 70.9
Rebounds per Game: 36
Assists per Game: 14.7
Blocks per Game: 3.8
Field Goal Percentage: 46.8%
Players To Watch
Shamorie Ponds (St. John’s)
Ponds is the engine that makes the Red Storm RUN as evidence of his 27-point performance at MSG this past Saturday against Seton Hall. He has shown the ability to single handily take over games on the offensive end of the floor. While he leads the Red Storm in scoring, he still makes sure to share the wealth with his teammates to the tune of 5.1 assists per game — both are top 3 in the Big East conference.
Naji Marshall (Xavier)
Marshall had a rough start to the season with multiple injuries plaguing him throughout. Coming into this season, he was supposed to be Xavier’s go to star after showing flashes of brilliance last year for a Xavier team that went into the NCAA Tournament as a #1 seed. Fortunately, for the Musketeers, Marshall has seemed to regain form over this past month, producing four straight games with an offensive rating of 100.
Prediction
One thing to note is both teams will be missing key cogs as Elias Harden (Xavier) is suspended and Mustapha Heron (St. John’s, knee) is a game-time decision. The Red Storm boast an 11-1 record this year when playing at the Carnesecca Arena, which has been sold out in 6 of the last 7 games. Xavier is looking to make a last-ditch effort to prove that they belong in the field of 68 while St. John’s needs to handle business in order to keep their resume strong for an at large bid. Couple that with the fact that they are conference foes, look for tonight’s game to be physical from the tip.
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Photo Credit
@StJohnsBBall via Twitter
