NCAA Baskteball Picks and Tips: No 16 Arizona at St. John's

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Frank Martin

p> Arizona Wildcats makes its longest road trip of the season - and will meet St. John's for the first time - in the semifinals for the 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York on Thursday.

The No. 16 Wildcats are off to a 3-0 start against mid-major opponents, but those wins didn’t come easy. They had to battle back after trailing Ball State in the second half, escaping with a 73-63 win Sunday.

The St. John's Red Storm are 3-0 as well and have also run into some tough mid-major competition, including a five-point win over Lehigh last week. The winner will play either Texas A&M or Mississippi State in Friday's final.

 

- #16 Arizona Wildcats @ St. John's Red Storm
When: 9:30 PM ET, Thursday, November 17, 2011
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2, ESPN3.com.

The Wildcats have opened as 1.5-point favorites on SBG Global Sportsbook’s Live NCAA Basketball Odds.

Arizona Wildcats (3-0): Arizona coach Sean Miller is still trying to fill the void left by departed superstar Derrick Williams. The Wildcats defense has taken the hardest hit, allowing the last three opponents to average 62 points. Miller made a statement to his team versus Ball State, benching freshman guard Josiah Turner, who was coming off a 19-point effort against Duquesne. Miller was vague about his reasons, but expects this to inspire his other freshmen to work for their minutes. Junior guard Kevin Parrom was a surprise return against Ball State after recovering from gunshot wounds two months ago and losing his mother to cancer on Oct. 17. Parrom inspired his team with six points off the bench.

St. John's Red Storm (3-0): The Red Storm have had their share of drama as well. Coach Steve Lavin underwent prostate cancer surgery on Oct. 6, but returned to coach the last two games. St. John’s started slow in its first two contests, trailing after the half, but snapped the trend in an 82-59 victory over Maryland-Baltimore County. The Johnnies have had a balanced attack on offense, with four players averaging more than 14 points. Freshman Moe Harkless has become an instant star while junior God'sgift Achiuwa, a junior college All-American transfer, leads the team with 17.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

1. Arizona is 11-1 since 1990 and 12-5 all-time at Madison Square Garden. St. John's is 388-259 all-time at MSG.

2. Lavin, a former coach at UCLA, has a 6-9 career record versus Arizona. ... St. John’s is 20-15 all-time versus current Pac-12 programs.

3. The Wildcats have a 30-24 all-time record versus current Big East schools.

Bet on NCAA College Basketball games with SBG Global Sportsbook, click here!

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• NCAA Basketball Articles
• NCAA Basketball Matchup

Tags

arizona wildcats - arizona wildcats - derrick williams - godsgift achiuwa - josiah turner - kevin parrom - madison square garden - moe harkless - sean miller - st. johns red storm

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