Sleeping with the Enemy: The Johnnies

Your Fighting Hoyas of Georgetown return to the court against The Johnnies of St. John's and as usual we here at THE GLOBAL PHENOMENON are bringing you everything you need to know about Georgetown's next opponent.  Here with us to dish on all things Red Storm is our good buddy Rumble in the Garden, your source for all of your Red Storm needs. After reading this, check out Casual Answers to Rumble questions right HERE. Let's do this!

Johnnies! Have you missed us as much as we have missed you?

Who are you again?

The taste left in the mouth from last season's second meeting is sweet and delicious (the look on JT III's face alone! Priceless! I am glad I went to cover that game!). But rivalry memory is strong, and facing Georgetown makes one thing of double covered D`Angelo Harrisons, twenty-point deficits, garbage-time points, and confused post-game speeches. And Khadim Ndiaye's one start for St. John's.

Is it me or has every St. John's season under Steve Lavin been the same? Start strong, fake media into thinking they're a contender, midseason swoon after someone gets suspended, kick it up a notch to get back on the Bubble.

As my hero T.S. Eliot once said, after the torchlight red on sweaty faces, after the frosty silence in the gardens, after the agony in stony places, the shouting and the crying, prison and palace and reverberation, of thunder of spring over distant mountains, he who was living is now dead, we who were living are now dying, with a little patience.

I'm sure that made sense.

Also: this year, the Red Storm weren't on anyone's list of contenders until hitting an early stride in November and creating chaos everywhere they played, including Syracuse. So this season is a bit different, with a different kind of hype bubble that crested higher and larger than the others.

Also: Steve Lavin is actually working on a TV reality show, in large part because the producers know that he is great for programming drama, human flaws, and redemption stories in every season.

Who on this Johnnies squad does Georgetown need to be particularly concerned with on Tuesday night?

No one at all. It's allllll good. Don't watch out for Sir`Dominic Pointer pressuring big men in the post and swooping in for blocks and rebounds, or attacking from the mid-range and in. Let him dunk. You will enjoy the result. Focus on D`Angelo Harrison and leave Phil Greene open for the corner three. And please, let Rysheed Jordan attack the rim in transition.

According to Jon Rothstein, St. John's has been the most talented team in the Big East for the last three years. What is the reason that talent hasn't translated into wins?

Let me tap into my inner Lavin: Sometimes, when you have talent, a team needs cohesion or stickybunness to really gel or come together as a team or a squad.

Which is to say that the youthful desires of AAU offense to shotmake and playmake in a selfish or individualistic manner can only die with four years of time or a period of minutes, with patience, with drama or creative tumult.

John Wooden's advice to be quick but don't hurry is the key here - St. John's progress with raw talent is quick in the timeline of human history, but cannot be hurried into the space of a "year" or whatever limited time frame lesser minds would construct.

Also: most of the players can't shoot outside of ten feet of the basket, and if there is traffic there, maybe not even inside of ten feet. Though they may be learning this year...

Is Steve Lavin the head coach of St. John's next season? Assume no just for shits and giggles - who would your ideal replacement be?

I think he might be. He does his best work when the odds are against him. And the team effort has been solid despite the team not having depth.

BUT if he is not the coach...

I would think of someone like Archie Miller, maybe. Or Michael White from Louisiana Tech. Or Kevin Ollie but that wouldn't happen.

Chris Obekpa has been wearing the short shorts this season. This is awesome. Not much of a question here.

I wear underwear on basketball courts all the time and no one makes a big deal out of it...

Johnnies going to make the Dance? Chart out a reasonable path of wins and losses for you over the last few games of the regular season.

L to the Hoyas, W four straight - three at home over Seton Hall, Xavier, Georgetown, lose at Villanova, win a game in the Big East Tournament. The Johnnies slip in as an 11 or 12 seed.

Let's say you and I are going to the movies together. What movie are we seeing and what snacks are we getting?

Snacks: trail mix (peanuts, no tree nuts), al pastor tacos that make no noise, and ginger beer that curiously tastes like whiskey.
Movie: the loudest, dumbest movie out there. I don't know what that is so I'll say Jupiter Ascending. OR the next Iron Man movie.

Final score prediction?

74-66, Hoyas. But I'm often wrong.