The Pittsburgh Panthers are the nations only undefeated team on the road going 6-0 in conference play this year.
They will be tested at Madison Square Garden on Saturday afternoon against a streaky St. John's squad. The Red Storm are on a three game winning streak beating Connecticut at home and Marquette and Cincinnati on the road. This is also the same team that demolished Duke at the Garden a few weeks ago.
Unfortunately, it is not the St. John's team of the past few decades. Steve Lavin has turned them into winners in a short period of time. This is bad news for Pitt. Not only for tomorrows game, but for future recruiting. Pitt has been able to land top recruits from the New York City area the past decade, but with St. John's becoming competitive, it won't be so easy.
The Garden is usually a home game for Pitt. They've acquired a .702 winning percentage there since 2000.
I expect an NCAA tournament like atmosphere for this game. New York fans are brutal and St. John's has given them reason to stand up this year. They're now 8-5 in the Big East and 16-9 overall, almost guaranteeing a trip to the big dance.
Local Connections:
Look to New York guys Travon Woodall, Dante Taylor, and J.J. Moore to step up tomorrow in front of family and friends.
For St. John's, Pittsburgh native D.J. Kennedy is an outstanding player that usually produces against his hometown team.
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