St. John’s had a first half, double-digit lead, but collapsed and eventually lost to Villanova, 78-63.
Big East play, after a brief interruption by Florida State, continued against the Villanova Wildcats. After the conclusion of the Johnnies’ 119th ranked out of conference schedule, the Red Storm appeared ill-prepared for either a competitive opponent or a road game environment. To make matters worse, Rafael Pinzon, St. John’s best offensive sparkplugs, was out for reasons currently undisclosed.
The first half was good for St. John’s, at least for the first 16 minutes. The four minutes of bad that followed it were comparable to the Red Storm’s abysmal start against Iowa State or the collapse against Villanova last season in the Big East Tournament.