WASHINGTON – Everyone knew where the ball was going, and few could stop it.
It is what made St. John’s so tough to beat last year once it got going and hit its stride. The Johnnies had two closers in RJ Luis and Kadary Richmond, talented one-on-one players who frequently came through in the clutch.
This year’s team is still searching for that guy. You can point to a few different factors for St. John’s slow start – the heavy roster turnover, lack of a true difference-making point guard or defensive rebounding woes – but the uncertainty in crunch time is an area that remains a work in progress.
St. John’s is 1-2 in games decided by single figures, and that doesn’t include losses to Kentucky and Auburn that it led in the second half. There isn’t a clear go-to guy when the Red Storm needs a basket, which can at least partially help explain the second-half struggles in the four losses. The setbacks to Auburn, Kentucky, Iowa State and Alabama were all winnable at halftime, and St. John’s was right there late in the second half against the latter two opponents.
