St. John's basketball will attempt to upset Duke on Friday night. Head coach Rick Pitino knows accomplishing the goal will be a challenge with Duke star Cameron Boozer on the floor. When asked what challenges Boozer presents, Pitino made a Charles Barkley comparison, via Niki Lattarulo.
“Well what they're doing is they are playing him a lot at the point guard,” Pitino said. “And they have the guard set a screen, trying to cause a switch. Then you are stuck with a one or a two, trying to defend him. And that's not easy to do. Picture Charles Barkley coming down the lane on you.”
Duke will be difficult to defeat. There is a chance that both Patrick Ngongba and Caleb Foster — who have dealt with injuries — will be available to play.
With that being said, the St. John's basketball team features an all-around talented roster. Pitino is one of the better head coaches in college basketball as well.
The Red Storm finished the season with a 30-6 overall record. They went 18-2 in conference play.
Zuby Ejiofor led St. John's with 16.3 points per game. Bryce Hopkins was not far behind at 13.6 points per outing. Players such as Oziyah Sellers and Dillon Mitchell stepped up during the season as well.
In the end, the Blue Devils are going to present a legitimate challenge. Nothing will come easy for the Red Storm on Friday night. In the NCAA Tournament, however, anything can end up happening.
Rick Pitino and St. John's basketball will look to pull off the upset on Friday night at 7:10 PM EST.
