Johnnie Three Levels

Image Source: ESPN

#9 ranked St. John’s Red Storm beat #24 ranked Creighton Bluejays 79-73 with an impressively balanced scoring attack.  Look at the shot dispersion around the court (right side in red).  Although they didn’t shoot particularly well from an efficiency standpoint (only 38% from the field including 33% from three), it’s difficult for defenses to stop a team from scoring for a full 40 (or 48 in the NBA) minutes when they can get buckets from anywhere on the court.  Defenses typically have to center their strategy around stopping one facet of their opponents offensive game, as they can’t stop it all.  In this case Creighton did a pretty good job making it tough for St. John’s.  In fact, the difference between winning and losing in this game came down to free throws, as the Johnnie’s made 6 more than the Bluejays.  But what makes St. John’s such a tough team to beat is they have a balanced scoring attack and their defense is legit. 

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