By ADAM ZAGORIA
Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin will square off for a third time this season when Georgetown and St. John’s meet in the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden (7 p.m., FS1).
One legend will end the other’s season, while the winner will have to turn around and face top-seeded Xavier in the quarterfinals at noon on Thursday.
“I think the culture of that [Ewing-Mullin] rivalry and the things they have done for the Universities is big,” St. John’s redshirt guard Justin Simon said. “I feel like I really felt that when we went into double overtime with Georgetown that second matchup.”
No. 8 seed Georgetown (15-14, 5-13 Big East) went 2-0 against No. 9 St. John’s this season (15-16, 4-14).
St. John’s sophomore guard Shamorie Ponds, an All-Big East First-Team selection, is expected to play despite battling an abdomen injury that has kept him out of the team’s last two games.
If St. John’s loses, it’s possible it could mark the last game Ponds plays at St. John’s, although he’s more likely to test the NBA Draft waters and then return to help his draft stock. The Brooklyn native is currently projected as the No. 34 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, per ESPN.
“Having one of your best players in your lineup is always important,” Mullin said of Ponds’ potentially returning for the Georgetown game. “The one positive the last few games is that some of these other guys have stepped up, but you always want to have your best players available.”
After an 0-11 start in the Big East, St. John’s stunned the basketball world by beating No. 4 Duke, No. 1 Villanova and then Marquette in early February.
Can they get another run going at the Garden?
St. John’s only chance of making the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Mullin is to win four games in four days in the Big East Tournament.
“I know we talk about it, but we actually have to do it,” Mullin said. “Not just in basketball but in life too. They are very aware [of the possibilities] and we talked [Monday] about that. There are lot of things that could happen if you actually win the first game. It kind of gets back to that. You mix it up and put some nice scenarios together, but you have to go out there and do it. The games we have won we went out there and played well, we didn’t wait for the other team to do something. We played unselfishly and with good energy. We do that, we put ourselves in good position to have good things happen.”
Georgetown has several local products who will also be returning home to the New York area in junior big man Jessie Govan of Queens (17.5 ppg, 10.0 rpg) and sophomore guard Jagan Mosely (6.5 ppg, 2.9 apg), a St. Anthony’s product.
For one of these teams, their season will come to an end on Wednesday night.
“We are in Madison Square Garden so the excitement is there from New York City and we have the fans behind us,” Simon said. “This is the postseason so it is win or go home, we have to bring it.”
**For more, read about how recruits are learning about Chris Mullin and Patrick Ewing through NBA 2K and YouTube.
Photo: NY Post
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