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The Regional Finals: South

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Posted: Saturday March 20, 1999 09:35 AM

Sports Illustrated's Tim Crothers previews Saturday's South Regional final in Knoxville.

St. John's vs. Ohio State, 6 p.m. ET

For St. John's to Win: The Red Storm is looking at an opponent with similar strengths and weaknesses. Neither team is tall up front, but St. John's has more potent offensive players, so the Red Storm may hope that the dominant guards on each side will neutralize each other and they can win the game with points from C Tyrone Grant and SG Bootsy Thornton and their deft interior passing. No team is peaking more in March than St. John's, which played its best basketball of the season in its last two wins since coach Mike Jarvis stumbled upon a devastating variety of matchup zone defenses, which completely stifled Indiana and Maryland offensively. Like in those games, St. John's hopes to force OSU to shoot from the outside thus limiting the scoring output of the Buckeyes' slashing guard Michael Redd.

For Ohio State to Win: The Buckeyes have advanced with a simple formula of aggressive defense and the backcourt scoring punch of Redd and PG Scoonie Penn. OSU must hit three-point shots to break down the zone, although nobody on the roster shoots better than 39% from beyond the arc. OSU needs to hold its own on the boards where the team has been inconsistent all season. The Buckeyes, with suspect depth, must also avoid the foul trouble that nearly crushed them against Auburn. Ohio State is shooting just 61.3% from the free-throw line overall this season and 59.5% in the NCAA Tournament, so it's fair to wonder when that serious flaw might catch up with the Buckeyes.

Key Matchup: St. John's PG Erick Barkley vs. Penn. Penn is far more critical to his team's offensive output, so Barkley can afford to concentrate more of his efforts on stopping Penn at the defensive end and let his Red Storm teammates carry the scoring burden.

Prediction: Penn and Redd aren't enough to beat St. John's, which will return to the Final Four for the first time since '85.

 

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