In his second season at St. John’s, Rick Pitino expects nothing less than steering the Red Storm to the NCAA Tournament for the 31st time in school history.For Tom Pecora, getting Quinnipiac to its first NCAA Tournament would be an ultimate achievement for coach and school alike.St. John’s and Quinnipiac will try to build off recent wins Saturday afternoon when the Red Storm host the Bobcats in New York.St. John’s has been off since Monday, when the Red Storm opened their season with a wire-to-wire 92-60 win over visiting Fordham. Quinnipiac last played Thursday, when the host Bobcats beat Division III Worcester Polytechnic Institute 71-47.The dominant win over Fordham left even the ever-demanding Pitino satisfied. Four players scored in double figures for St. John’s, which was picked to finish fifth in the 11-team Big East after going 20-13 and missing the NCAA Tournament last season. Kadary Richmond, a transfer from Seton Hall, flirted with a double-double (16 points, nine rebounds) in just 30 minutes.The Red Storm, who allowed 60 points or fewer seven times last season, also limited Fordham to 36.4 percent shooting (20-of-55), including 34.8 percent (8-of-23) from 3-point land.
St. John’s focused on defense ahead of tilt with Quinnipiac
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