St. John's opened up Big East play with a game where the issues of depth and better competition loomed large for Chris Mullin’s squad in a blowout loss. The Johnnies fell to the Providence Friars, 94-72, who used a barrage of threes to take control of the game.
This game should not be a referendum on the team's style or coaching, but rather on the depth St. John’s does not have.
Facing a Providence squad that has struggled in the non-conference, St. John's came out solidly despite falling for some pump fakes - one of which sent forward Tariq Owens to the bench with two fouls in the second half.