When you really think about it, this is the way this game had to go, right? St. John's last painted the Seton hole by the age of 28 when the two teams played at Prudential Center in January. And the Pirates had a tough year, trying to unite a tension of respect while losing 22 games.
But Johnny reached where they were for glory much more often than charm. Rick Pipino says again and again that what he most admires about his team is his humility, his collective understanding that nothing is given, and that everything is obtained even when everything is against the bottom.
Even the first full conference championship in 40 years, in another full house (19,812 strong), encourages them with 19,812 larynx and every ounce of voice box.
So the Pirates stood to reason that after the red storm as much as possible, the Hall would lead with the jaws. It was right that it took Johnny until the final five to six minutes of the game to finally start to pull away.
