St. John’s can make a statement in the upcoming Big East road tests

St. John’s has mostly held serve so far. The Johnnies have won the games they were supposed to win, and usually in empathetic ways.

Their nine wins have come with an average of 21.6 points. Their two losses to scheduled NCAA Tournament teams Baylor and Georgia were decided by a total of four.

You pass the eye test. They look like this. They have strong metrics, ranking 13th in the KenPom rankings and 27th in the NET rankings, the sorting tool the selection committee uses to distinguish teams. They rank in the top 21 in both offensive and defensive efficiency.

But now the schedule is getting tighter for the first time since the trip to the Bahamas a month ago. In fact, St. John’s will play an away game for the first time, and it will be in one of its horror houses to take on Providence at the typically hostile Amica Mutual Pavilion (formerly the Dunkin’ Donuts Center). On New Year’s Eve, the Red Storm visits Creighton, another place that has historically not taken kindly to this program. St. John’s last won in Providence in 2015 with fans in the stands. Previously, Omaha was victorious in 2019. The above opponents are weaker than last season, partly due to injuries and the departure of stars to the professional ranks.