Indianapolis – It was appropriate to be ugly.
Rock fight. Struggle.
Much of St. John's success this year is built on his ability to win like that. To win despite many problems.
By night, it was the first time since 1992 that it was a big East regular season crown share, and it felt right that it was a game like this.
Slugfest, where Johnny, who was in 7th place, was not at his best and despite his fast start, he couldn't pull away from Butler.
Finally, at crunch time, when the game was up for a grab, St. John's, like almost every season, won on both ends of the floor.
Well, after this gritty 76-70 victory at Hinkle Field House, the Red Storm will face Seton Hall for the first full league title of the program since Saturday in 1985, and in the worst case, they can share the crown with Clayton.
Zuby Ejiofor scored six of the 12 points in the final 5:48, giving his best in the end. RJ Luis hit two clutch free throws at 1:48, pushing the lead to four.
Deivon Smith added two more important things to the line.
And St. John's kept the Bulldogs at 37% shooting in the second half, locking in Butler when it mattered most.
