The Bad Boy Mowers series went just as expected, a physical, back-and-forth, cinematic battle that, while only an exhibition, delivered a thrilling preview of what’s to come this season. St. John’s and Michigan put on a show at the world’s greatest arena, fighting to an overtime finish that ended with the Johnnies on the heartbreaking side of a 96-94 loss.

The Red Storm had a real shot at a miraculous win thanks to Lefteris Liotopoulos, who caught fire late, scoring eight points in a 45-second stretch during the final two minutes of overtime. With eight seconds left, the second-year guard from Greece stepped to the line down two after being fouled on a three-point attempt, a chance to give St. John’s the lead in the final moments. But Liotopoulos went one-for-three from the stripe, capping the night in gut-wrenching fashion.

With this being the final tune-up before the regular season tip-off, here are five takeaways from an eventful Saturday night at the Garden.

Dillon Mitchell is a true utility man

We saw flashes last week of what the former Cincinnati Bearcat can bring to this team, but against Michigan, it was on full display. Dillon Mitchell looks like the exact spark St. John’s needs. His relentless hustle on defense, playing through every possession, perfectly fits the Rick Pitino mold.

“He’s a fun player,”  Michigan Head Coach Dusty May said. “The St. John’s fans are going to have a lot to cheer for this year.”

That’s exactly what we saw against the Wolverines, a high-flying, energetic player who can light up the Garden in an instant. Mitchell delivered two highlight plays, including a momentum-shifting drive where he took it straight to the rim and threw down a poster dunk on Yaxel Lendeborg.

Mitchell will likely earn a spot in the starting rotation, and deservedly so. Coach Pitino has emphasized the team’s struggles with guards rebounding, something Mitchell can immediately help with. His size and energy at forward give the Red Storm a real edge on the boards.

Dylan Darling will be a problem

The 6-foot-1 transfer from Idaho State was expected to quietly emerge as one of the better transfers in the country this season, and last night’s game showed exactly why. Dylan Darling, the former Big Sky Player of the Year, made his presence felt on both ends of the floor, bringing hustle, energy and focus, early trademarks of this Red Storm squad.

St. John’s hit a bit of a wall midway through the first half, lacking rhythm and energy offensively. That all changed when Darling checked in. He immediately forced two Michigan offensive fouls, then buried a three-pointer on the other end to pull the Red Storm within one with 10 minutes left in the half.

Darling wrapped up his night with seven points on 3-for-8 shooting, adding two assists, a solid bounce-back after going assist-less against Towson.

Still, as Rick Pitino noted, there’s room to grow.

“I think he has to realize his motion on offense,” Pitino said. “He’s gotta move, move, move, and then go downhill.”

Darling still has a few kinks to iron out, but he’s showing he has all the tools to become a starting guard for St. John’s sooner rather than later.

St. John’s is better in fast-tempo situations

Rick Pitino hinted after the Towson game that facing Michigan would bring a much faster pace on both ends of the floor, and that’s exactly what we saw in the overtime thriller.

The Wolverines rank No. 64 nationally in adjusted tempo, a massive jump from Towson’s No. 358 ranking. That difference perfectly illustrates why Pitino values these exhibition matchups. He isn’t just scheduling crowd-pleasers, he’s creating tests designed to expose weaknesses and prepare his team for the grind ahead.

“I set the schedule to see what our weaknesses are,” Pitino said.

In terms of tempo, St. John’s currently ranks 52nd, a slight improvement from last season’s 58th. The offseason additions, particularly at guard, have clearly helped quicken the pace, as shown by the 190 combined points scored in this contest.

Still, Pitino knows there’s work to do.

“Our weakness is our guards’ rebounding,” he admitted. “They aren’t together yet because they don’t know each other.”

The Red Storm will spend the next week tightening things up before facing off with Quinnipiac on Nov. 3 — another fast-paced opponent, ranked 13th in adjusted tempo.

How does St. John’s address their starting five?

Through two exhibition games, we’ve seen Rick Pitino experiment with several different rotations, testing out what works, and what doesn’t for the Red Storm. At one point, St. John’s rolled out a lineup featuring Zuby Ejiofor, Ruben Prey and Dillon Mitchell all on the floor together, showcasing the team’s length and physicality against bigger opponents. But the question remains: what will the official starting lineup look like?

In overtime against Michigan, we may have gotten our answer. The Johnnies opened the extra period with Dylan Darling at point guard, Ian Jackson sliding back into his natural shooting guard spot and Mitchell, Bryce Hopkins and Ejiofor filling out the frontcourt. That combination of ball-handling, athleticism and size looked balanced and cohesive — the exact formula Pitino’s been searching for.

It’s a lineup that gives St. John’s its best chance to thrive, with a true point guard running the show and enough size to compete with any front-court in the country.

Three-point shooting struggles again: how can the Johnnies improve from beyond the arc?

Obviously, St. John’s won’t be going 4-for-23 from three-point range come March, but it’s still concerning to see a team built to shoot well struggle again. That was one of the biggest issues for Rick Pitino’s squad last season — three-point shooting. As a team, St. John’s ranked 339th nationally from deep, one of the key reasons for their early NCAA Tournament exit to Arkansas.

“Those guys won’t go 4-for-24 from three,” May said. “They have an identity as a team; those guys are tough matchups.”

Going forward, St. John’s will look to get more comfortable and consistent from distance as they open their regular season on Nov. 3 against Quinnipiac.