Three keys for heavy favorite St. Johns vs. underdog Omaha

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Three keys for No.2 seed St.

John’s in Thursday’s first-round NCAA Tournament first round matchup against No.15 seed Omaha: Omaha is a strong 3-point shooting team, led by guards JJ White and Tony Osburn.

They each shoot it at better than 40 percent and combine to attempt 9.4 3s per game.As a team, the Mavericks make 36.7 percent of their tries from distance, the 43rd-best mark in the nation.Start fast and be aggressive.

Don’t let Omaha think it can hang around.When a big underdog gets down early, it usually stays down.

CHECK OUT THE LATEST BIG EAST STANDINGS AND ST.JOHN’S STATSAn early lead is important for St.

John’s to erase any thoughts of an upset.The Mavericks are 283rd nationally in two-point field goal defense (53.5 percent).They are 286th in blocked shots percentage at 7.3.

They lack a rim protector, which St.John’s physical trio Kadary Richmond, RJ Luis Jr.

and Zuby Ejiofor should be able to exploit....