By Will Sammon
Amid a standing ovation in the final seconds of Saturday’s game a chant could be heard loud and clear: “Thank you, seniors.”
It was directed toward the St. John’s seniors in the team’s final home game of the season.
It likely will be heard again once the NCAA selection committee makes official on Selection Sunday what many believe St. John’s sealed Saturday.
The senior-led St. John’s men’s basketball team likely clinched an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time in four years after defeating rival Georgetown, 81-70, at Madison Square Garden.
St. John’s (20-9, 9-7) has won six of its last seven games. The Red Storm will close the regular season with road games at Marquette and Villanova, followed by the Big East Tournament. Many believe St. John’s NCAA tournament chances should be safe even without winning another game.
“I feel we did a good job of winning today,” Sir’Dominic Pointer said. “I hope this was a resumé builder. I feel like it’s right there.”
One person who labeled the Red Storm a tournament team was Georgetown coach John Thompson III.
“St. John’s was 11-2 out of conference,” he said. “That’s a very good, senior-laden team that has been in the trenches and is hungry. They don’t just pose a problem – they can go deep in the tournament.”
St. John’s earned the win despite the struggles of star guard D’Angelo Harrison. He played only the first 25 seconds of the game before being benched with two fouls and finished with a career-low one point. Yet St. John’s, behind Pointer, who was serenaded with “MVP” chants, and Phil Greene IV, played unfazed.
Greene scored a career-high 26 points and had seven rebounds, and Pointer tied a career-high with 24 points.
D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera tallied 29 points for Georgetown (18-9, 10-6), which never led after an early 11-0 run gave St. John’s a 16-6 lead. Only 11 days earlier, St. John’s lost to the Hoyas by 22 points in Washington, D.C. “It was a complete reversal,” St. John’s coach Steve Lavin said. “We slugged them from start to finish. … Our group is just a group that keeps getting better.”
Rysheed Jordan had 15 points, three assists and three steals, and Jamal Branch, who filled in admirably while Harrison sat on the bench, added 10 points and five rebounds before suffering a hip flexor injury with just over seven minutes left.
He and his fellow seniors likely accomplished their season’s goal and just have to wait for it to become official.
“We’re just waiting for Selection Sunday,” Pointer said. “Once we get in, it’ll feel great.”
