To kick off their final Big East showdown, St. John's fans were crowding around Devon Smith.
The senior guard made three straight 3-pointers with the first answering a deep shot from the nation's leading scorer and St. John's archenemy Eric Dixon.
But, no sooner had the jolt of excitement passed through the raucous crowd of 18,178 at Madison Square Garden, the feeling of unease spread far and wide and quickly when the Fast Breakfast star went down nearly two minutes before halftime.
Smith collided with Villanova's Wooga Poplar, hurting his right shoulder, while trying to catch a pass, hoping to grab a steal. He was on the ground in the aftermath, clutching his shoulder in pain, before walking off the field and into the locker room.
After St. John's' 80-68 win, head coach Rick Pitino said Smith's shoulder “popped out and popped back up” but was not dislocated. The X-ray came back negative and St. John's Hospital does not believe he will need an MRI test.
“He won't be out for long. I could miss Georgetown but I don't think it will be after that. But he's a very tough kid,” Pitino said.
Before going down, the Loganville, Ga., native was St. John's leading scorer in the first half with 12 points, shooting 4-for-6 from the field, including 3-for-5 from deep across 17 minutes.
His absence was quickly felt by his colleagues.
“Yes, of course,” said Simeon Wilshere after the match. “Just knowing what kind of player he is and how much he means to the team. To make him hurt, it kind of hurt all of us. But we knew we had to step up, and it was like the next man up. … Of course, we felt it.”
Smith returned for just three minutes in the second half while wearing a wrap around his shoulder and torso to hold him in place.
He was pulled back because he was not keen on using his right arm. Robert Sabo for the New York Post
In his first year in Queens after transferring from Utah State, Smith averaged 10.7 points on 43.8 percent shooting and shot 38 percent from deep.
“He wanted to get back into the game because he felt like they didn't have substitutions,” Pitino said. “When I saw he couldn't shoot, I took him out right away. He'll be fine. He's a warrior.”
