St. John's @ Providence preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 9, 2019 ) Providence 70, St. John's 56

Mustapha Heron provided quite the verbal statement on the heels of St. John's making a fairly large one on the floor. Fueled by their biggest comeback in nine seasons, the resilient Red Storm look to ride the momentum of their stirring win versus Villanova when they visit Providence on Wednesday at Dunkin' Donuts Center.

"We're not complacent. It's good that we beat the defending national champions, but we still have the rest of Big East play. ... We're worried about Providence and then every game after that," Heron told Newsday after Sunday's 71-65 win over the Wildcats. The junior guard, who scored 19 points to help the Red Storm overcome a 17-point deficit versus Villanova, will get his first look at the Friars after sitting out a 70-56 loss on Feb. 9 with a bruised knee. Providence's seventh win in eight outings against St. John's accounts for just its lone victory in its last six overall, as the club was outscored by 20 in the second half of a 75-61 setback to Xavier on Saturday. "We didn't do anything well, especially in the second half," Friars coach Ed Cooley told the Providence Journal. "We tried a lot of different defenses, a lot of different guys. Some days this happens and it (stinks) when it's on your watch."

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FS1

ABOUT ST. JOHN'S (19-7, 7-6 Big East): LJ Figueroa highlighted his 22-point performance versus Villanova with a trio of 3-pointers in the second half, with one igniting an 8-0 run to give the Red Storm a 58-57 advantage with 3:12 remaining. Although the sophomore guard finished with 14 points against Providence, St. John's finished with season lows in points (56) and 3-pointers (two) en route to sustaining just its third loss in 15 home contests. Junior guard Shamorie Ponds, who leads the team in average points (20.1) and assists (5.2) per game, followed up his 20-point performance versus the Friars by shooting 6-for-26 from the field -- including 2-for-8 from 3-point range.

ABOUT PROVIDENCE (14-12, 4-9): Nate Watson, who had a team-high 18 points in the first encounter with St. John's, rolled up 16 more on 7-of-12 shooting from the field versus the Musketeers. The sophomore center didn't have much help on Saturday, however, as the rest of the starters combined to shoot a dismal 7-for-26 from the floor. Junior guard Alpha Diallo, who leads the team in points (16.4) and rebounds (8.0), was limited to just seven points while matching a season low with two boards.

TIP-INS

1. Diallo recorded a career-high 15 rebounds in the first meeting with St. John's.

2. Red Storm F Marvin Clark II is 7-for-15 from the field in his last two contests after going just 2-for-8 versus the Friars.

3. Providence G Isaiah Jackson had 12 points and seven rebounds against St. John's, his most in both categories over the last seven games.

PREDICTION: St. John's 68, Providence 60