Marquette’s Tyler Kolek rips St. John’s defense as ‘barbecue chicken’

By ADAM ZAGORIA

After torching St. John’s for 27 points, 13 assists and 7 rebounds on Saturday, Marquette’s Tyler Kolek fired a verbal shot by calling the Red Storm defense “barbecue chicken.”

St. John’s led by as many as 15 points in the first half behind the zone defense, but the tide turned and they eventually switched to man.

“We come out, we bang two threes, they gotta come out of the zone, they start going man, and it’s just barbecue chicken from there,” Kolek, the Preseason Player of the Year, said after No. 7 Marquette’s 86-75 win.

#Marquette's Tyler Kolek delivering dimes both on and off the court today.

When asked about what he meant by using the term "barbecue chicken" to describe St. John's switching to man in the second half, he responded "you can look it up on Urban Dictionary." 💀 pic.twitter.com/GIalKvlQkJ

— Ashley Washburn (@ashleyjwashburn) February 11, 2024

Kolek had his way with Joel Soriano and the rest of the St. John’s defense, scoring 22 of his 27 in the second half when the Golden Eagles outscored the Red Storm, 48-28.

Marquette (18-5, 9-3 Big East) remains in second place in the Big East, while St. John’s (14-10, 6-7) has lost 6-of-8 and is in the muddled mass in the middle.

Tyler Kolek vs St. John's today:

◾️ 27 PTS
◾️ 11-17 FG
◾️ 13 AST
◾️ 7 REB
◾️ 2 STL pic.twitter.com/JWggYL71oi

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) February 11, 2024

A resigned Rick Pitino said of his defense this season: “It’s not going to happen in the first year.”

“Well, [Marquette] came out and shot an open three, shot an open three and shot an open three,” Pitino said. “For no rhyme or reason in the zone, we didn’t pay attention to their personnel and it’s happened before. You know, they did it to us at our place, but when they shoot 52 percent from three, I don’t care how good you’re shooting the ball. You’re not going to win. Our defense has hurt us most of the season and tonight was no different.”

He added: “Well, that’s what happens in the first year when you’re not a disciplined defensive team. That’s what happens. It’s not going to happen in the first year. It’s not going to happen. I’m sorry, it’s not. We’ll play hard and you’ll see some displays of brilliance at times, but it’s not going to happen because unless you have a mindset of guarding people on every single possession, it’s not going to happen and that’s not the mindset that they have. We’re improving offensively, but defensively we still have the same problems. It is what it is. It’s the first year. We are building a program and you gotta build a program on defense.”

St. John’s must now travel to Providence on Tuesday. The Friars are coming off a heartbreaking 75-72 road loss at Butler Saturday.

Marquette visits Butler Tuesday.

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