St. John’s Basketball: 3 keys to Red Storm upsetting No. 3 Villanova
1. No one has been bigger in the Johnnies’ winning streak than freshman Posh Alexander, and getting him involved immediately is necessary
If the reason for St. John’s four-game winning streak can be traced to anyone or anything, then look no further than the play of freshman point guard Posh Alexander, who – thrust into the starting lineup in his very first collegiate game back on November 25th – has become the perfect type of player for Mike Anderson’s style of play.
The reigning Big East Freshman of the Week, Alexander has been on a tear during the Red Storm’s hot streak. After fluctuating between single- and double-digit performances – and after a nine-point, eight-assist performance in the loss to Marquette – the 6-0 guard has ripped off four-straight double-digit performances in the last four St. John’s outings.
Alexander began the streak with 18 points and six assists at UConn – then followed that up with a career-high 20 points against Utah Valley. In the last two games – which resulted in Alexander earning Freshman of the Week honors – he scored 15 points against both DePaul and Marquette, dishing out five assists against DePaul while snagging a career-high six steals at Marquette.
To put into context just how good Alexander has been: he leads the Big East in steals per game with a 2.7 average. In the last four games, Alexander is averaging shooting clips of 58.0% inside (18-31) and 42.1% outside (8-19). In addition, he is averaging 4.0 assists per game to just 2.25 turnovers, while hauling down 3.5 rebounds and recording 3.75 steals per game.
It is no coincidence that the Johnnies are 8-2 in games where Alexander scores double-figures, and are 3-5 in games where he does not. But now, Alexander will face – arguably – his greatest task yet. He will be tasked with guarding either Justin Moore or Collin Gillespie, both of whom score at an efficient rate and value the ball extremely well.
More than likely – given how many steals he averages – Alexander will be tasked to guard Gillespie. One of the best guards in college basketball, Gillespie is among the nation’s best offensively – his offensive rating ranks 28th in the nation, and his turnover rate – where he turns the ball over just 8.2% of the time – ranks 45th in college basketball. Additionally, Gillespie’s 3PT% (42.6%) and FT% (88.2%) clips rank in the top 200, meaning Alexander will have to limit his opportunities from both areas.
If the Johnnies hope to stand a chance, then they need to get Alexander going from the get-go. He is, arguably, the biggest reason behind their four-straight wins – and allowing Villanova to shut him down would be deadly to St. John’s chances. Likewise, on the other end, Alexander’s defensive tenacity is exactly what St. John’s needs to make the almost always steady Villanova Wildcats uncomfortable.