Xavier vs. St. John’s analysis: The Red Storm's Crossover Examination

St. John’s defeated Xavier 78-70 on Saturday, earning their third straight win.

Red Storm guard Sir’Dominic Pointer scored a game-high and tied a career-high in points with 24 in the contest.

D’Angelo Harrison and Phil Greene IV scored in double-digits, along with bench player Jamal Branch.

Xavier cut St. John’s deficit with little time left after they controlled the game in the first half, but in the end the Red Storm came out on top.

Matt Stainbrook, Xavier’s center, led the charge for the Musketeers, scoring 17 points and garnering nine rebounds.

St. John’s box:

Courtesy of Kenpom.com

Xavier box:

Courtesy of Kenpom.com

Objective Observations:

• Sir’Dominic Pointer had an incredibly efficient shooting night, going 9-10 from the field and 6-6 from the foul line.
• Jamal Branch put an end to his scoreless streak, breaking out for 11 points off the bench.
• Amar Alibegovic had a solid game off the bench with five rebounds and two steals.
• As a team, the Johnnies shot 52% from all areas of the floor, 35% from the three point line, and 81% from the foul line.
• St. John’s was out-rebounded by Xavier 37-29. The Red Storm have averaged this season 36 rebounds per game.
• The Johnnies gave up more points and scored more points than usual on Saturday, scoring 78 and giving up 70 to Xavier.

What it means:

After a crucial win over Xavier, St. John’s has quietly gotten themselves back in the mix in the Big East, and are now projected to make March Madness in ESPN's latest bracketology.

St. John’s next game will take them on the road to Washington D.C. to face Georgetown on Tuesday. If St. John’s can grab another win on the road, it will help their resume tremendously and put them over .500 in conference action for the first time.