Seven games remain in the regular season and St. John's is in the only position it ever could ask for — one of total control.
Following a great start to the season and a terrible start to conference play, the Red Storm enter the final month of the season squarely on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament, having won three of their past four games. Still in need of standout wins, St. John's (16-8, 5-6) will have several opportunities in its most difficult stretch of the season, playing four games on the road and five games against teams in the top-half of the Big East, which includes two games each against Georgetown and Xavier, and a road game at No. 6 Villanova.
Last season, the Red Storm were in a similar situation after an 0-5 start in the Big East, but the team won eight of its final 10 regular season games before falling just short of the tournament.
Once again, the opportunity is there, along with the experience and understanding of what another run will require.
"Momentum is an important thing at this time of the year," coach Steve Lavin said. "We're aware that we need to win games and accumulate victories, build our résumé or body of work that ultimately the selection committee will examine. … Naturally, the kids are aware what's going on with the bubble talk."
Saturday afternoon's showdown at Xavier could have more impact than any of the remaining games, with Xavier (16-9, 7-6) potentially in position to spend Selection Sunday as anxious as St. John's.
The Musketeers, who won both meetings with the Red Storm last season, feature the league's highest-scoring and most balanced offense, shooting over 48 percent from the field as a team, while winning 12 of 13 games at the Cintas Center this season.
St. John's, 1-4 on the road in the Big East this season, could enter another difficult environment without center Chris Obekpa, who has played six seconds in the past two games because of a high ankle sprain. If the fourth-leading shot blocker in the nation is out again, St. John's finally may feel the impact of his absence, going up against a big frontline, led by, 6-foot-10, 270-pound senior center Matt Stainbrook.
"Stainbrook has always presented challenges for us," Lavin said. "We'll have to give him different looks to try and keep him out of rhythm and without Chris that will be challenging because we're shorthanded and undersized, but I think we can use our speed and try and mix our defense to try and offset the lack of size on the frontline."
That athletic, undersized lineup which excels in transition and turned almost every rebound into a fastbreak — featuring Sir'Dominic Pointer at center — in Wednesday's win over DePaul is just as difficult to prepare for, Xavier coach Chris Mack said.
"Not knowing Obekpa's status, effectively they have a 6-foot-4 athletic swingman playing the five [and] it presents a different challenge," Mack said. "We have to be prepared for a unique style of play and try and do what we best and get it inside, regardless of who is on the floor for St. John's."
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