http://web.sny.tv/media/video.jsp?content_id=25722481
By MATT SUGAM
Special to ZAGSBLOG
NEW YORK – And now they wait.
Five weeks ago, Steve Lavin had a young and hungry St. John’s squad poised to make its second NCAA Tournament appearance in three years.
But the Johnnies lost key players down the stretch to suspensions and lost for the seventh time in eight games, falling to Villanova, 66-53, in the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. The No. 7 Wildcats will face No. 2 Louisville tonight at 7 p.m.
Whatever bubble dreams the Johnnies (16-15) had of making the NCAA Tournament have popped.
Their hopes of continuing their season now hinge on an NIT bid, and the Johnnies must wait until Selection Sunday to learn their fate.
“It’s really difficult,” Big East Rookie of the Year JaKarr Sampson said after putting up 13 points and nine boards. “You just have to sit around and just wait. Being in this position we wish we could have won this game and advanced to the next round, so there’s a lot of sitting around just waiting to see what we’re going to go.”
Meantime, Jay Wright and Villanova (20-12) all but solidified their spot in the Big Dance after notching their 20th win of the season behind Mouph Yarou’s 18 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals, Ryan Arcidiacono’s 15 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds and JayVaughn Pinkston’s 12 point and 9 boards.
Since the Big East first received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in 1982-83, 97 percent of the Big East teams with 20 wins made the NCAA Tournament.
For now, Wright downplayed his program’s case for an NCAA bid.
“We’re going to take whatever the committee decides,” Wright said. “I told you that before we came up here, I still feel good. I still feel real good. As long as we can play, I’m going to keep going for the next game.
“I knew there was a chance we could lose this one, and it would be a long week at home waiting. Right now I’m not going to think about that. I’m just going to think about Louisville.”
Lavin doesn’t just think the the Wildcats are an NCAA Tournament team. He believes they are a squad that can make some noise in March Madness.
“Villanova’s an excellent basketball team,” Lavin said. “They’re very capable of making a run in the NCAA Tournament.”
Something he hopes his team can do next year.
Lavin said he believes “98 to 100 percent” of his team will be back. That two percent depends on if Sampson opts for the NBA or not and if leading scorer D’Angelo Harrison returns after being suspended for the remainder of the season four games ago.
And so, Lavin thinks his team can aspire be what Villanova is.
“We’re playing a team tonight that’s going to be in the same situation we are next year, a hungry group of players that last year didn’t get to the winner’s circle, didn’t get to experience the NCAA Tournament,” Lavin said. “So you have a physical basketball team that’s determined to have a run in the NCAA Tournament.
“That will be us next fall. Like them, when you have a resolve because you’ve been knocked down or beat down as we have, that’s when you move forward. We have to have that resolve in this off‑season.”
Photo credit: News Day
