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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Soaring Eagle 74" data-source="post: 131107259" data-attributes="member: 1397372">The honeymoon period has yet to end. In most St. John’s fans’ eyes, new coach Mike Anderson can still do no wrong.Seven wins in nine games will do that when preseason expectations were so low. So will the unexpected production of overshadowed players and the kind of consistent effort against weaker opponents that has been lacking in recent years.But now the real tests begin, starting with Anderson’s first game at the Garden. The Red Storm will face a quality opponent, West Virginia, on Saturday (noon, FS1) as part of the first annual Big East/Big 12 challenge.“It’s a gauge of where we are, in terms of this time of the year,” said Anderson, who has never been a head coach for a game at the Garden. “This will give us an idea of where we are.”Indeed, West Virginia (7-0) will be the best team St. John’s has faced this year, at least based on KenPom.com ratings. The undefeated Mountaineers are No. 34. Arizona State (67) and Vermont (88), the teams St. John’s has lost to, are considerably lower. The Johnnies have yet to defeat a top-100 team.A fter four straight NCAA Tournaments and three Sweet 16 appearances, West Virginia is coming off a down year, a 15-win campaign. But coach Bob Huggins’ team looks more like the kind of group that usually plays well into March, deep, physical and skilled. The Mountaineers walloped improved Pittsburgh by 15 on the road and is coming off a quality home win over Rhode Island.The roster features four players averaging in double figures, a group that excels at the same breakneck style Anderson employs — the Mountaineers’ nickname is “Press Virginia” for a reason — and feasts on the glass, averaging 13.8 offensive rebounds per game. The matchup in the paint is particularly intriguing: St. John’s vastly improved sophomore Josh Roberts against West Virginia freshman Oscar Tshiebwe, a top-30 recruit posting 12.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.“I feel like this would be a good opportunity to showcase what I can do,” the 6-foot-9 Roberts said. “I just have to use my athleticism and play with heart.” I see it as a wonderful opportunity for me. I get to prove myself to a lot of people.”How St. John’s (7-2) deals with West Virginia’s pressure is perhaps even more important than how Roberts and the Red Storm’s other forwards fare against a team possessing big men who can match their athleticism. Arizona State featured a similar style and ran the Johnnies off the floor in the second half a few weeks ago, turning them over 16 times, obliterating them in transition and handing them their worst loss of the season. Improvements from that performance will be needed to leave the Garden victorious.“No. 1, I want to see us really value the basketball,” Anderson said. “Definitely, they’re going to get up in the [passing] lanes. We’ll have to space the floor and make shots — make shots and make plays.”NY Post</blockquote>

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