St. John’s Basketball: Takeaways from loss to Michigan in Gavitt Games
By John Makuch
Despite the hype, the additions, Rick Pitino, and a packed Madison Square Garden, St. John’s Basketball was stormed out of the world’s greatest arena after an 89-73 loss to the Michigan Wolverines.
The stage was set, and the Johnnies made their first appearance at MSG this season and the first under Coach Pitino, all eyes were on this matchup on the college basketball slate. The Gavitt Games, a series that has brought us plenty of competition and all-time classics between the Big East and the Big Ten was upon us, and this was supposed to be one of those games.
But alas, St. John’s did not have what it takes to be able to take down a Michigan team that very much impressed in this game. The game included Wolverine dominance from the beginning, with an impressive performance by Nirmari Burnett who put up 21 points in the first half alone. Strange enough, those would be the only points he would score in the whole game, but Dug McDaniel showed off with 26 points of his own and led the charge offensively.
Michigan’s largest lead in this game was 26, a number that nobody expected to see considering the expectations around St. John’s as a potential contender for the Big East and even a run at a National Championship with Pitino at the helm. Now, it seems they will have to go back to the drawing board when it comes to the gameplan this season, because this is not a performance they would like to repeat.
What went wrong for St. John’s? And what are some negative or even positive things to takeaway from this defeat?