Friday night was, for the most part, St. John’s first true test this season as they made their way to Williams Arena to face Minnesota in the final game of the 2016 Gavitt Tipoff Games.
In a sense, Friday’s 92-86 win by Minnesota was settling the score set by St. John’s two seasons ago in their victory over the Golden Gophers at Madison Square Garden during the NIT Season Tip-off, but the parameters between both games then and now do not add up. The one constant between both games is that Richard Pitino is still head coach of the Gophers.