Notes for the St. John’s Men’s Basketball game v #24/22 Xavier

Team Huddle by: Stacy Podelski/1495 Sports

The St. John’s Men’s Basketball team (10-12, 4-5) is currently getting ready to host #24/22 Xavier at Madison Square Garden this Sunday, January 29 in BIG EAST Conference play. The game is set for 6:00 pm, with the action set to air on the FS1 Network.

St. John’s and Xavier will meet for the ninth time in team’s history. The Musketeers have won the last three meetings, including a 97-82 victory on January 7 at the Cintas Center. Prior to this streak the Red Storm had won consecutive contests with its last victory coming on Feb. 23, 2015 at Madison Square Garden.

The Red Storm enters into this game earning a thrilling 91-86 victory over Providence College on the road. In a game that saw 15 lead changes and 13 ties, St. John’s was able to hold on to the win and now currently hold its best record at the midway point of conference play since the 2012-13 season.

What to Watch For:

The Freshman Duo of Marcus LoVett and Shamorie Ponds continue to show why they are one of the nation’s most highly touted young backcourts in the game against Providence. LoVett finished the game with a game-high 26 points, which was follow by 22 points from Ponds.

Defense has been a Key for the Red Storm:

Defense has been a huge key for St. John’s in earning the program some big time victories. Helping with that has been the amazing blocking ability from Tariq Owens. Owens who had one huge block against Providence, ejecting an attempt by Emmit Holt. The Red Storm recorded 10 steals in the game against the Friars.

About Xavier:

Xavier enters Sunday’s contest having lost four of its last five games. The Musketeers are coming off an 86-78 loss at Cincinnati on Thursday.

The Musketeers ranks second in the BIG EAST averaging 38.3 rebounds-per-game. Senior forward RaShid Gaston has grabbed a team-best 6.5 boards-per-contest, while Trevon Bluiett has recorded 5.7 per-game.

1495 Sports is proud to bring the following videos from a Press Conference held by the St. John’s Men’s Basketball team to preview the upcoming game and more:

Featuring:

Student-Athletes:

Tariq Owens and Shamorie Ponds: