Creighton could be signature win Red Storm needs to impress NCAA

OMAHA, Neb. – The signature win. Any program hoping for at least an NCAA Tournament at-large bid is going to need one. For the tournament selection committee, it’s at the top of the resume and a measuring stick of a team’s capabilities.

St. John’s could use one. The Red Storm has won 11 of its first 13 games and has only a one-point double-overtime loss to Baylor and a three-point loss to Georgia as blemishes. It sits three spots outside the Associated Press national rankings.

But still its best victories came over New Mexico at the Garden and at Providence. And it would be hard to say right now that either of those programs looks like a lock for an NCAA Tournament bid.

St. John’s (11-2, 2-0 Big East) has a 4 p.m. Tuesday meet-up with Creighton at its CHI Health Center, where last season it lost by one-point on a non-call foul by the Bluejays that prevented Daniss Jenkins from corralling the game-clinching rebound.

When the season began and the Bluejays were ranked No. 15 in the nation, this contest absolutely looked like a signature win opportunity. It may still be, depending on how the rest of the season plays out. But maybe not right now.

The Bluejays are not the team envisioned at 8-5 and 1-1 in the conference. There is a win over No. 7 Kansas on the ledger but also, among the surprising five losses, is a 24-point defeat at Georgetown. And immediately after the Kansas win on Dec. 4, Creighton lost Pop Isaacs, arguably its best all-around player, to a season-ending hip injury.

“I think the reason they have five losses is they played the toughest schedule in the Big East, very difficult teams,” Storm coach Rick Pitino said.

As a whole, the Big East performed dreadfully in non-conference play and that’s the reason only two teams are in the Ap Top 25 that came out Monday, No. 8 Marquette and No. 11 UConn. But maybe that’s not such bad news for St. John’s, which continues to trend better and better.

The Storm, picked fifth in a preseason poll of Big East coaches, considers themselves a serious contender to win the conference. A win Tuesday and Saturday at home against Butler probably makes them the third ranked Big East team.

“We’re trying to win the whole league, we’re trying to win big, we’re trying to go dancing in March,” RJ Luis Jr. said. “We’re going in there, not thinking about last season, but what we could do this year.”

“We need to win the league and there’s an opportunity,” he added. “If we focus in and we key on our details, we’re in good shape against anybody to win the league.”

“This team is just scratching its potential,” Pitino said. “The Baylor game still bothers me because of the clock [issues] and .  .  . we didn’t play well against Georgia [but] I’ve got to be very pleased. Still I don’t think we’re right now anywhere close to our potential.”

Creighton is averaging 10.2 three-pointers per game on 35.1% shooting on the arc and the Storm has shown, against DePaul and Providence, that they can shut down an opponents’ perimeter game. However the Bluejays have 7-foot senior Ryan Kalkbrenner, who averages 17.3 points and 7.7 rebounds, and Pitino said is a threat when passes from the perimeter come “over the top.” The three-time conference Defensive Player of the Year also averages 2.5 blocks.

It makes for an intriguing matchup with St. John’s Zuby Ejiofor.

“It’s going to be really exciting – it’s obviously going to be a challenge,” Ejiofor said. “What would help me a lot is doing my work early and trying to deny him post touches as much as possible and keep him away from the post.”

If St. John’s succeeds Tuesday, it may prove a signature win. Maybe next week’s game at Xavier will too. The only sure ones at the moment are the Storm’s four dates with Marquette and UConn.

“The Big East this year is much stronger than last year,” Pitino said. “The bottom has come to the middle. Georgetown is significantly better. DePaul is significantly better. You’re going to find that a couple teams will separate themselves, but I think every single game will be close. I don’t care who it is – UConn, Marquette – right now games will be close to the final five minutes.”