St. John's @ Creighton preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 28, 2017 ) St. John's 68, Creighton 82

No. 24 Creighton made a strong response to a loss in the Big East opener and looks to match that level of performance when it hosts injury-ravaged St. John’s on Wednesday night in another league battle. The Bluejays were beaten at Seton Hall last Thursday after coughing up a 13-point lead in the second half and showed their disdain for that performance with an 83-64 rout of Providence on Sunday.

“You have to be ready every day,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott told reporters after the win. “Obviously you could see the disappointment in their eyes and in their body language that first practice (after the Seton Hall loss). But they turned the page pretty quick.” The Bluejays could be playing St. John’s at the right time as the Red Storm’s top two scorers Shamorie Ponds (20.1) and Marcus LoVett (14.9) are day-to-day with to injuries. St. John’s, which was hammered 94-72 in its Big East opener by Providence, was without the two standouts Sunday and gave No. 21 Seton Hall all it could handle in a 75-70 loss with four players totaling 68 points. “They obviously made some big plays, made some free throws when they had to, so congratulations to them,” Red Storm coach Chris Mullin told reporters after Sunday’s setback. “I was proud of my guys’ effort. A game like this will help win games for us down the road.”

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

ABOUT ST. JOHN’S (10-4, 0-2 Big East): Ponds, who also averages 4.8 assists, suffered a knee injury against Providence and fellow sophomore guard LoVett has missed the last seven contests with a sprained knee as the Red Storm went 4-3 in that stretch. Junior forward Marvin Clark II has averaged 19 points in two Big East games and senior guard Bashir Ahmed has contributed 14.7 per contest in the last three. Sophomore guard Justin Simon boasts double-doubles in two of the last three games and junior forward Tariq Owens recorded season highs of 19 points and 14 boards versus Seton Hall.

ABOUT CREIGHTON (11-3, 1-1): The Bluejays have been one of the nation’s most productive offensive teams, sitting fourth in the country in scoring (91.1) while draining 51.4 percent from the field (10th nationally). Senior guard Marcus Foster has connected on 20-of-36 from the floor the past three games, leading the team at 19 points per contest overall, and junior guard Khyri Thomas (14.8) is next despite missing 10 of 11 from 3-point range his last two outings. Senior forward Toby Hegner had 15 points against Providence, matching his season high.

TIP-INS

1. Creighton F Martin Krampelj from Slovenia has averaged 18 points and nine rebounds in the first two Big East games.

2. Owens came into the week fifth in the nation and first in the Big East with 3.64 blocks per contest.

3. The Bluejays have won the last four meetings, scoring at least 80 in all four contests.

PREDICTION: Creighton 82, St. John’s 68