Fairleigh Dickinson vs. St. John's: 3-Point Preview

Full Throttle for 40 Minutes

St. John's is ranked No. 24 in the latest edition of the AP Poll. They're 6-1 on the season, and are coming off a big win at the Carrier Dome against Syracuse Saturday evening.

So what's the worry about a game against something called...Fairleigh Dickinson (is that a Charles Dickens character)?

The problem is that St. John's, although they have beaten the lower tier teams they're supposed to beat, has not made their lives easy in doing so. The Red Storm only held a one-point lead on Niagara with 11 minutes remaining in the game before ultimately pulling away. The Johnnie's also allowed LIU-Brooklyn to lead in the second half, and only held a six-point lead with four minutes to play before sealing the deal.

It shows to the character of this senior laden team they can close out tight games, which will bode well when Big East play kicks off. But it would be nice to be able to see the Red Storm come out firing on all cylinders and put away a team they should handle with ease.

Another Milestone for Harrison

Senior D'Angelo Harrison eclipsed the 1,700 point mark against Niagara last week. Wednesday night, he'll hit yet another milestone in his career as he'll be playing in his 100th game as a member of St. John's. Harrison has started all but 6 of these games.

The Texas native is off to a fantastic start on this year, putting up 18 points-per-game while averaging eight rebounds. He was the dominant force in St. John's win at Syracuse, finishing with a game-high 24 points. He is currently 8th on the all-time active scoring list with 1,730 points, and is 23 away from moving up to 7th spot.

St. John's Defense...It's Pretty Good

I can really just end it with that headline, but yes, coach Steve Lavin has to be pleased with his team's defensive efforts early this season. Thanks in part to Chris Obepka and Sir'Dominic Pointer, the Red Storm are ranked 4th nationally in rebounds per game (30.8) and 6th in blocks (7 per game).

The defense should not have too much of a problem against the Knights, who are shooting just 40 percent from the floor on the year. The trouble FDU will give the Red Storm is on the glass. FDU is averaging two more rebounds per game than St. John's, and are led by (of all people, a guard) 6-foot-5 Matt MacDonald who averages a shade over five boards per game. St. John's will have to be ready to go toe-to-toe on the glass to handle the Knights with ease.

Tip off is Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. from the Carnesecca Arena in Queens.