Program history
St. John's
in the tournament.
St. John's appears in 30 tournaments in this archive, between 1952 and 2026, with an all-time record of 22–31. It has reached the title game once — 1952 — without winning it.
In its opening game it is 3–11. 4 of its 14 games decided by three points or fewer went its way.
Its biggest upset as the underdog came in 1979, when a 10th seed beat the 2nd-seeded Duke 80–78. The reverse happened in 2025: as a 2nd seed it lost to the 10th-seeded Arkansas 75–66.
Its longest run of consecutive appearances is 7, from 1982 to 1988. Its longest absence ran 9 years, between 2002 and 2011. It has met Temple 4 times, more than any other opponent.
This archive carries no numeric seed before 1979. Since then it has entered as high as a 1st seed and as low as an 11th.
- 30 Appearances
- 22–31 All-time record
- 0 Titles
Season by season
| Year | Seed | Record | Coach | Conference | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | — | 25–6 | Frank McGuire | Metro NY | Runner-up |
| 1961 | — | 20–5 | Joe Lapchick | Metro NY | First round |
| 1967 | — | 23–5 | Lou Carnesecca | Independent | Regional Fourth Place |
| 1968 | — | 19–8 | Lou Carnesecca | Independent | First round |
| 1969 | — | 23–6 | Lou Carnesecca | Independent | Regional Fourth Place |
| 1973 | — | 19–7 | Frank Mulzoff | Independent | First round |
| 1976 | — | 23–6 | Lou Carnesecca | Independent | Round of 32 |
| 1977 | — | 22–9 | Lou Carnesecca | Independent | Round of 32 |
| 1978 | 4 | 21–7 | Lou Carnesecca | Independent | Round of 32 |
| 1979 | 10 | 21–11 | Lou Carnesecca (11th season) | Independent | Regional Runner-up |
| 1980 | 3 | 24–5 | Lou Carnesecca | Big East Conference (1979–2013) | Round of 32 |
| 1982 | 5 | 21–9 | Lou Carnesecca | Big East Conference (1979–2013) | Round of 32 |
| 1983 | 1 | 28–5 | Lou Carnesecca | Big East Conference (1979–2013) | Round of 16 |
| 1984 | 9 | 18–12 | Lou Carnesecca | Big East Conference (1979–2013) | Round of 48 |
| 1985 | 1 | 31–4 | Lou Carnesecca | Big East Conference | lost in the National semifinals to Georgetown, 59–77 |
| 1986 | 1 | 31–5 | Lou Carnesecca | Big East Conference (1979–2013) | lost in the Round 2 to Auburn, 65–81 |
| 1987 | 6 | 21–9 | Lou Carnesecca | Big East Conference (1979–2013) | lost in the Round 2 to DePaul, 75–83 (OT) |
| 1988 | 11 | 17–12 | Lou Carnesecca | Big East Conference (1979–2013) | lost in the Round 1 to Florida, 59–62 |
| 1990 | 6 | 24–10 | Lou Carnesecca | Big East Conference | lost in the Second Round to Duke, 72–76 |
| 1991 | 4 | 23–9 | Lou Carnesecca | Big East Conference | lost in the Regional Finals to Duke, 61–78 |
| 1992 | 7 | 19–11 | Lou Carnesecca | Big East Conference | lost in the Round 1 to Tulane, 57–61 |
| 1993 | 5 | 19–11 | Brian Mahoney (1st year) | Big East Conference | lost in the Round 2 to Arkansas, 74–80 |
| 1998 | 7 | 22–10 | Fran Fraschilla | Big East Conference | lost in the Round of 64 to Detroit, 64–66 |
| 1999 | 3 | 28–9 | Mike Jarvis (1st year) | Big East Conference (1979–2013) | lost in the Regional Final to Ohio State, 74–77 |
| 2002 | 9 | 7–11 | Mike Jarvis (4th year) | Big East Conference (1979–2013) | lost in the Round of 64 to Wisconsin, 70–80 |
| 2011 | 6 | 21–12 | Steve Lavin (1st year) | Big East Conference | lost in the round of 64 to Gonzaga, 71–86 |
| 2015 | 9 | 21–12 | Steve Lavin (5th year) | Big East Conference | lost in the round of 64 to San Diego State, 64–76 |
| 2019 | 11 | 21–13 | Chris Mullin | Big East Conference | lost in the opening round to Arizona State, 65–74 |
| 2025 | 2 | 31–5 | Rick Pitino | Big East Conference | lost in the round of 32 to Arkansas, 66–75 |
| 2026 | 5 | 30–7 | Rick Pitino | Big East Conference | lost in the regional semifinal to Duke, 75–80 |
How the games went
| Round | W–L |
|---|---|
| Opening | 3–11 |
| Round of 64 | 12–13 |
| Round of 32 | 2–2 |
| Round of 8 | 1–3 |
| Semifinal | 4–2 |
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