NEW YORK — Whether St. John’s is having a disappointing season or not, the comfort of home at Madison Square Garden for the Big East tournament can be a welcome elixir come March — at least for one game.
The eighth-seeded Johnnies entered the tournament with essentially no shot at earning an NCAA bid for a fourth straight year under Mike Anderson’s leadership unless it ran the table at its second home.
The Red Storm embraced that chance for much of Wednesday’s tournament opener, dominating No. 9 seed Butler, 76-63, and cooling down the hot seat beneath Anderson, at least for a few hours.
