St. John’s returns to action against Cincinnati for the second time this season this Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.
The two teams all ready faced each other once this season when the Red Storm earned their first road win of the season with a 57-55 on a buzzer beater put-back by freshman Maurice Harkless at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati. The last four contests between the two schools have been closely contested and there are some good reasons for that, assistant coach Mike Dunlap said.
“We play perimeter basketball and our guards are evenly matched,” Dunlap said. “We have similar types of athletes. They press and play very hard. We’re also both trying to get into the paint, so the officials come into play.”
Wednesday’s game is part of a week billed by ESPN as “Rivalry Week” and it is more personal for junior transfer God’sgift Achiuwa, who’s college choice came between the Johnnies and the Bearcats.
“For me, it’s a big game. It’s a pride thing for me to beat them,” said Achiuwa, “It’s a big program. The players play a very aggressive style of play.”
Following Wednesday’s matchup, the Red Storm will travel to Washington, D.C. Sunday to revive a more historic rivalry with Georgetown with hopes of evening the season series at 1-1.
