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Big East Basketball: 5 biggest questions entering 2019 NCAA Tournament

By Tristan Freeman

VILLANOVA, PA - FEBRUARY 27: Theo John #4, Joey Hauser #22, Sam Hauser #10, and Sacar Anim #2 of the Marquette Golden Eagles look on against the Villanova Wildcats in the second half at Finneran Pavilion on February 27, 2019 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The Villanova Wildcats defeated the Marquette Golden Eagles 67-61. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
VILLANOVA, PA - FEBRUARY 27: Theo John #4, Joey Hauser #22, Sam Hauser #10, and Sacar Anim #2 of the Marquette Golden Eagles look on against the Villanova Wildcats in the second half at Finneran Pavilion on February 27, 2019 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The Villanova Wildcats defeated the Marquette Golden Eagles 67-61. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 13: Mustapha Heron #14 of the St. John’s Red Storm celebrates in the second half against the DePaul Blue Demons during the first round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 13, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 13: Mustapha Heron #14 of the St. John’s Red Storm celebrates in the second half against the DePaul Blue Demons during the first round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 13, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

2. Every year a “Last 4 team In” makes a run in the NCAA Tournament. Will St. John’s be that team this time?

Brian Foley

No. Shamorie Ponds is a gifted guard, but he often plays on cruise control for long stretches of the game. The Johnnies need him in attack mode full-time. Should St. John’s advance past Arizona State in the First Four, it will have a daunting matchup with Buffalo on Friday, and as evidenced in the Big East tournament, the Red Storm’s short rotation could prove problematic with the quick turnaround between games.

Zac Voynow

St. John’s has the potential to make a deep tournament run. However, they also had the potential to be in a situation similar to what Villanova is in right now, and they clearly didn’t live up to expectations in Chris Mullin second season as head coach. If they beat Arizona State (which I think they will), then they will have a really tough matchup with Buffalo. They have the ability to beat Arizona State, Buffalo, and even Texas Tech down the road, but they need more than just Shamorie Ponds to accomplish that.

Connor Hope

No. Absolutely not. Don’t even consider St. John’s as a possible team to make a run. They will probably beat Arizona State, but once they face the men that Buffalo runs out on the court, they could be a blowout loss.

Marcu Washington

They’ve lost four of their last five so they’re certainly not coming in with momentum. This is Chris Mullin first NCAA tournament as a coach. So you would think the answer would be “no” but when you have a player who has the ability to win a game for you, it gives you a chance. Shamorie Ponds has that ability. Arizona State is a good match up for them stylistically and it isn’t like Buffalo is overwhelming. It depends on if the St. Johns that defeated Villanova and Marquette (twice) shows up or the one that lost to DePaul twice.

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