Nice an refreshed after a short little break looking to build on a nice little roll the past week or so.
2 Units
St John's +6 -110
Statistically these 2 teams are very similar. Miami is widely considered a much better team, but St. John's is better than most people believe. They have the unique ability to turn games ugly, especially at home. They also get one of their most important players back in Justin Burrell. The Johnnie's were severely short handed in their last outing a loss against Virginia Tech where they battled for most of the game, without 3 players who started at the beginning of the season. St. John's is an athletic, rugged team, who will compete with Miami on the glass. The Canes usually win games with their ability to control the offensive and defensive glass. That won't be the case this Saturday. St. John's averages 14.5 offensive rebounds and game, and out rebound their opponents by +6 a game. With Burrel back you get one of your best rebounds, and scorers, to go along with his size. The 6'8 235lb Burrell, 6'8 240lb Sean Evans, and athletic 6'6 DJ Kennedy form a long, athletic front line that will compete with Miami. However, unlike Burrell, point guard Malik Booth won't be returning for another week or 2. He would have been a good candidate to cover Jack McClinton, but Paris Horne, Quincy Roberts, and TyShawn Edmundson should pick up his minutes. Each of those 3 are all long and athletic. Their length, and athleticism could give McClinton problems while attempting to get shots off. Overall St John's plays good team defense limiting opponents to only 61.6 point per game, but most importantly their length and quickness on the perimeter will help close out on McClinton. As good as Boothe is, Paris Horne has really started to pick his game up. I watched their last outing against VT, and he has really started to play well. He is playing with confidence, so the extra minutes may be coming at the right time. Miami on the other hand has looked lost as of late. They got blown out at home by Clemson in their last game, after struggling against Robert Morris only winning by 8 the game before that. This will only be their 3rd game in the past 2 weeks so there may also be some rust to work off. This is only their 2nd true road game so there is no telling how they will react. New York City is a long trip, and is a big difference from Miami this time of year so a sluggish performance cannot be overlooked. Their poor free throw shooting should also be a concern. For a team that goes to the line often they struggle mightily from the line. They haven't shot better than 64% over their past 5 games, including a 44% performance their last time out against Clemson. St John's is the type of team that is going to make you earn every bucket so not being able to knock down ft's consistently can be a downer. This is a St John's team who is full of sophmores who seem to have learned from the lumps they took last year. They are fighting for Norm Roberts, who is on the hot seat. They have talent on this team, and match up well against Miami. They could easily surprise a few people and win this game Saturday. I will take the +5.5 and be happy/
2 Units
St John's +6 -110
Statistically these 2 teams are very similar. Miami is widely considered a much better team, but St. John's is better than most people believe. They have the unique ability to turn games ugly, especially at home. They also get one of their most important players back in Justin Burrell. The Johnnie's were severely short handed in their last outing a loss against Virginia Tech where they battled for most of the game, without 3 players who started at the beginning of the season. St. John's is an athletic, rugged team, who will compete with Miami on the glass. The Canes usually win games with their ability to control the offensive and defensive glass. That won't be the case this Saturday. St. John's averages 14.5 offensive rebounds and game, and out rebound their opponents by +6 a game. With Burrel back you get one of your best rebounds, and scorers, to go along with his size. The 6'8 235lb Burrell, 6'8 240lb Sean Evans, and athletic 6'6 DJ Kennedy form a long, athletic front line that will compete with Miami. However, unlike Burrell, point guard Malik Booth won't be returning for another week or 2. He would have been a good candidate to cover Jack McClinton, but Paris Horne, Quincy Roberts, and TyShawn Edmundson should pick up his minutes. Each of those 3 are all long and athletic. Their length, and athleticism could give McClinton problems while attempting to get shots off. Overall St John's plays good team defense limiting opponents to only 61.6 point per game, but most importantly their length and quickness on the perimeter will help close out on McClinton. As good as Boothe is, Paris Horne has really started to pick his game up. I watched their last outing against VT, and he has really started to play well. He is playing with confidence, so the extra minutes may be coming at the right time. Miami on the other hand has looked lost as of late. They got blown out at home by Clemson in their last game, after struggling against Robert Morris only winning by 8 the game before that. This will only be their 3rd game in the past 2 weeks so there may also be some rust to work off. This is only their 2nd true road game so there is no telling how they will react. New York City is a long trip, and is a big difference from Miami this time of year so a sluggish performance cannot be overlooked. Their poor free throw shooting should also be a concern. For a team that goes to the line often they struggle mightily from the line. They haven't shot better than 64% over their past 5 games, including a 44% performance their last time out against Clemson. St John's is the type of team that is going to make you earn every bucket so not being able to knock down ft's consistently can be a downer. This is a St John's team who is full of sophmores who seem to have learned from the lumps they took last year. They are fighting for Norm Roberts, who is on the hot seat. They have talent on this team, and match up well against Miami. They could easily surprise a few people and win this game Saturday. I will take the +5.5 and be happy/
