IT’S not that Duke has bigger fish to fry than St. John’s, says Mike Krzyzewski. Basically, the question is when should the fry take place?
“We love the St. John’s series,” the Duke coach said last night. “Where we’re at is trying to define what we do non-conference during this [February] week we’re off.
“We will end up this year with one of the toughest schedules in the country. We have to be careful how we use this week. Would it be better served to have a couple days off and maybe playing this game at a different time of the year? I’m not saying eliminate the game.”
Krzyzewski wasn’t exactly confirming The Post’s Lenn Robbins’ report that this series is kaput after next year’s game at Cameron. Neither was he exactly vowing to play St. John’s until hell freezes over or the Johnnies finally win.
The final score at The Garden last night, 76-69, didn’t really mean they had a chance to avoid a ninth loss to Duke in 11 meetings. It did suggest that a young team didn’t wilt, but then the ninth-ranked Blue Devils are nothing St. John’ s hasn’t seen in going 3-10 in a brutal Big East.
“They are going to be really good,” Krzyzewski said. From his mouth to the Rev. Donald Harrington’s ears, as Norm Roberts’ future apparently – and unfairly considering his injury losses – is still under consideration, much like Duke’s involvement with St. John’s.
Krzyzewski can always bring his team to New York or Newark for November and December tournaments – and if he ever again has a team this small and capable of losing four of six, schedule Furman or practice during this week instead. Duke, despite no Elite Eight appearances since going to the Final Four in 2004, remains Duke. And while denials about the series’ cancellation are still coming from control freaks at both schools, the Rev. Harrington is in denial, too, if an empty top level of seats last night and a surprisingly small presence of Dookies in the stands didn’t tell him St. John’s doesn’t need this series anymore, either.
In fact, the question remains why a team in a conference that could send eight teams to the NCAA tournament, needs to subject itself to another loss at this point of the season. But if indeed the Red Storm wants to continue to shoehorn in a late non-conference game against a high-profile program, the line of them wishing to replace Duke will extend down 33rd Street all the way to Park Avenue.
Memphis coach John Calipari will want to know where to sign for a game every year in New York. UCLA and Kansas would both want to see the Statue of Liberty. The world is St. John’s oyster because: a) Who doesn’t want exposure in New York? b) Who doesn’t have alums here? c) Who doesn’t want a winnable game against a team from one of the two best conferences there is?
It doesn’t have to be a perennial top 10 team. It could just be the Red Storm taking on a rotation of comers trying to stay in, or get to, the top 25. So, if Duke no longer wants St. John’s, at this time of the year or any time of the year, the feeling should be reciprocal.