NASSAU, Bahamas — If Sunday against New Mexico was St. John’s wading out of the kiddie end of the pool, then Thursday night it will find itself in the deep end.
Sink or swim.
The Lobos were a fine first test, and Rick Pitino’s 22nd-ranked Johnnies passed it with ease, leading almost wire-to-wire in a 14-point victory at the Garden.
This will be different. This is a legitimate title contender, The Post’s preseason pick to win it all.
This is a chance for St. John’s to make a statement that it is for real in the opener of the Baha Mar Hoops Championship.
No. 13 Baylor is a different animal.
A Big 12 powerhouse that has averaged 25.6 wins the past five seasons and has reached nine of the past 10 NCAA Tournaments.
That features elite transfers in Norchad Omier (Miami), Jeremy Roach (Duke) and projected one-and-done, top-10 NBA draft pick V.J. Edgecombe.
And one of the country’s premier coaches in Scott Drew.
“They’re one of 10 or 12 teams I’ve seen so far this year that could play in the Final Four,” Red Storm coach Rick Pitino said this week as the Johnnies prepared for their first ranked vs. ranked nonconference game in 25 years. “Tennessee is also in this tournament. They’re one of 10 or 12 teams I could also see playing in the Final Four. Obviously, the competition is great.”
St. John’s (4-0) is coming off its best performance of the young season.
Pitino and his coaching staff graded it out as a B-, the first contest when there were more positives than negatives.
The Johnnies outrebounded New Mexico by 17, outscored the Lobos in the paint by 10 and shut down dynamic guard Donovan Dent.
Five players scored in double figures as St. John’s overwhelmed a quality opponent.
“I was very encouraged. I liked our pace, I liked our passing and I liked our rebounding,” Pitino said. “Now, we’re going to go up against a different level and we can’t make the mistakes that we made in the New Mexico game because they’ll make us pay. They’re such a gifted offensive basketball team. They drive, they shoot, they rebound very well. It’s going to pose a big challenge for us.”
Pitino has focused on the Johnnies defending the 3-point line.
The Bears (3-1) will frequently play four guards at a time.
They will spread you out, create mismatches and let it fly from deep. In four games, the opposition is shooting only 30.5 percent from distance against St. John’s, but it hasn’t seen anything like Baylor.
New Mexico went 8-for-18 from long range, and hurt the Red Storm from beyond the arc in the second half.
“Defending the 3-point line is going to be really huge for us,” forward Zuby Ejiofor said. “Almost everybody on that team can knock it down at a high clip.”
Baylor, it should be noted, started the season by getting hammered by third-ranked Gonzaga, 101-63, although it rebounded with a five-point, neutral-site victory over No. 20 Arkansas.
It crushed its last two opponents, Sam Houston State and Tarleton State, by a whopping 100 points.
It will be without standout guard Langston Love, who has yet to play this season due to an ankle injury.
This showdown starts an intriguing trip for St. John’s.
It will face either No. 11 Tennessee or Virginia on Friday night, depending on the results of the two games on Thursday, and meet improved Georgia in a stand-alone nonconference game on Sunday.
The Red Storm arrived in the Bahamas full of confidence, believing they can play with anyone.
The Johnnies can prove it this weekend.
“We all believe that we can beat Baylor,” Ejiofor said. “We all believe that we can win the tournament.”
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