DAYTON, Ohio — St. John’s has said all the right things for weeks, giving all the clichés about a fresh start and unlocking its potential. March, the team said, could be its salvation.

Instead, it offered up a harsh dose of reality.

St. John’s hasn’t been a quality team for a while now. That was apparent as it lost three straight lopsided games to end the regular season. It was obvious in an ugly blowout loss to Marquette in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals.

The NCAA Tournament didn’t change that.

It was merely a continuation of the downward spiral this team has been in. Arizona State, a mediocre team from the mediocre-at-best Pac-12, didn’t play its best game. The Sun Devils started terrifically, leading by 18 points in the opening half, then cruised. St. John’s — the last team to make the field of 68 — started asleep and couldn’t sustain strong stretches of play nearly long enough, suffering the program’s fourth straight NCAA Tournament loss, a dismal 74-65 loss in the First Four at University of Dayton Arena.

“It was probably one of our worst games of the season overall,” St. John’s coach Chris Mullin said after losing his NCAA Tournament coaching debut.

And so a season that began with such high expectations, which included a 12-0 start but a fourth straight season under .500 in the Big East, ended with a whimper, fitting for this underwhelming campaign. St. John’s closed with six losses in eight games, and now enters an uncertain offseason.

It’s top two players, juniors Shamorie Ponds and Mustapha Heron, could go pro, though both said it was a decision they had yet to make. With Fred Hoiberg reportedly close to accepting the head-coaching position at Nebraska, ace recruiter Matt Abdelmassih could follow his former boss at Iowa State. The team’s leader, Marvin Clark II, is a senior.

“We feel like we could’ve made a run,” Clark said. “This was the first hump, it was a big hump to get over. We personally felt if we would’ve gotten over this hump, we would’ve made some noise.”

Ponds, the Brooklyn native and two-time All-Big East first-team selection, scored 25 points, but needed 20 shots to get them in an inefficient performance. Heron and Clark were nowhere to be found offensively, combining to shoot 1-of-17 from the field for just six points before both fouled out. LJ Figueroa, the biggest positive this season, was the best Red Storm player, notching 19 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

“We just didn’t make shots tonight — I didn’t make shots tonight,” Heron said in the quiet locker room. “It’s very disappointing. … I wish I could’ve done what I was supposed to do.”

The Johnnies actually weren’t blown away on the glass against the bigger Sun Devils, winning the rebounding battle. But they committed 16 turnovers, shot 31 percent from the field, made only 8-of-31 attempts from deep, and were outscored 17-5 in bench points, a season-long problem. They forced 21 turnovers and allowed only five made 3-pointers, yet still were not overly close to victory.

“It was layups, it was free throws. It was everything,” Mullin said. “I wouldn’t say I was stunned. I wouldn’t say disappointed. Just kind of surprised, I would say. Just simple plays that I’ve seen our guys make each and every day, whether it be in shoot-around or practice, [didn’t happen].”

St. John’s (21-13) did have an opening late, after getting as close as seven with 3:50 left. But Clark missed a 3-pointer that could’ve cut it to four. Ponds missed a layup. Simon missed two free throws.

It was typical of this lost evening, and also apropos of the lost final month of the season.

“We just couldn’t put anything together,” Mullin said. “I just wish we could’ve played better tonight.”