It took Steve Lavin about five minutes to change the mood for all St. John's fans from frustrated to hopeful. After 2 months, the Red Storm are playing a game that means a lot for both teams on the floor. Syracuse has an undefeated record on the line tomorrow night, while St. John's needs wins over ranked teams to make a case for their first NCAA Tournament bid in what seems like decades. The Big East is so brutal this year...every win counts because there are eight or nine teams in the league that look as though they belong in the field of 64 (oh, I mean 68).
I grew up in Brooklyn during the 1980's when the Big East was as talented as it is today. Of course, St. John's was at the top of the Big East in the 80's as opposed to the past few years when they have been also rans. Tomorrow's game at the Garden represents an opportunity to step onto one of basketball's hallowed halls and show the country that St. John's basketball is officially back. Given the recruits Lavin has coming in next year, the future looks bright for the program, but St. John's fans have been waiting for so long to go crazy in the Garden that the boost to the program if the Red Storm can win tomorrow would be enormous.
Of course, Boeheim's team will be prepared and they are tough. I am as excited about a St. John's game as I have been since Mike Jarvis was coach. It's a long time coming.
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