Stumble It!
Mark's take - Duke will try to implement their will on St. John's tomorrow after dropping two conference games in a row. The Devils got back to basics in practice this week, concentrating on defense and playing as a cohesive unit. Duke is still nursing some injuries. I feel as if Duke will rebound and use this game to make some adjustments on the court and in their minds. The pick here is Duke 85 St. John's 63
Bob Green's take - The St. John's Redmen travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium as a 22 point underdog to a Duke club that has lost its last two games. I'm not sure there is ever a good time for non-conference opponents to play at CIS, Duke has defeated 58 straight non-ACC opponents at home, but St.John's timing couldn't be worse. Duke will be out to prove the two road losses were an anomaly by taking it to the Redmen for 40 minutes.
St. John's enters the game with a 10-15 record and riding a three game losing streak. They turn the ball over 15.3 times per game and only make 40.7% of their field goal attempts. I expect them to struggle to achieve those numbers against a Duke team that will focus on defense after two subpar performances. With Duke pressuring the ball, St. John's will turn it over often and Duke will force the Redmen into bad shot selection when they don't turn it over.
On offense, Duke has stated they desire to look inside for points. It will be interesting to see if Brian Zoubek can be an offensive factor in this game. His play has been improving as he returns to game shape after re-injuring the foot he had surgery on over the summer. I wouldn't be suprised to see the starting line-up shaken up for this game.
My prediction: Duke 84 - St. John's 58
