St. John's nonconference finale was representative of the whole story.
Good, not great.
There weren't any bad losses, but there weren't any big wins either.
Johnny's held serve.
They lost to Boston College and the University of Michigan, avoiding the devastating defeats they suffered last March.
However, losses to expected tournament teams Baylor and Georgia were still disappointing, and Johnny was unable to get his signature win.
St. John's still enters the new year in a good position and is expected to advance to the tournament's main draw for the first time since 2015.
They capped off a soft schedule with a 97-76 win over Delaware State in the CAA on Saturday at Carnesecca Arena with 20 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists from Davon Smith.
Check out the latest Big East standings and St. Louis. John's statistics
The Red Storm, who have won six consecutive games, led by 23 points late in the first half and were on cruise control from there.
The defense loosened up after halftime, and the Blue Hens shot 58.1 from the field after the break, but couldn't contain sharpshooter John Camden, who had 35 points and nine 3-pointers.
Zuby Ejiofor had 16 points and seven rebounds in the paint, and RJ Lewis added 16 points off the bench.
Simeon Wilcher had 12 points, followed by Kadary Richmond with 10 points and seven assists.
St. John's, which made just 6 of 28 3-pointers in its first two Big East games, made 8 of 12 from deep Saturday.
Smith hit half of them, making 4 of 8.
Johnny was plus-11 on the glass and plus-16 in the paint.
The schedule gets even tougher from here, with a New Year's Eve date in Omaha, Nebraska, with perennial favorite Creighton.
Butler then comes to Queens and visits Xavier.
St. John's (11-2) is off to a much better start in this guarantee game than in recent games.
Instead of being at the mercy of an overwhelming opponent, Johnny and his friends worked together.
They were also sharp defensively and quickly built a double-digit lead.
A 3-pointer missed early, and St. John's made its first four shots, leading by as many as 23 in a lopsided first half.
Smith was the best player on the floor, finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Ejiofor followed with 10 points and 5 rebounds, followed by Wilcher with 7 points.
Smith led an 11-0 run, hitting a 3-pointer off Richmond's dish for a 13-point bulge. The ball moved well.
St. John's had 11 assists on his first 13 goals and shot 55 percent from the field.
After the break, St. John's defense still left something to be desired.
Delaware State persevered, making eight of its first 13 shots and trailing by 17 points before the 12-and-under team timeout.
The Blue Hens were getting into the paint and creating open looks from beyond the arc.
Still, there was no doubt about the outcome. Delaware didn't come any closer.
