Last time St. John’s made Sweet 16: Revisiting 1999 March Madness run led by Ron Artest

Last time St. John’s made Sweet 16: Revisiting 1999 March Madness run led by Ron Artest originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Rick Pitino came to St. John’s to bring a once-prominent New York program back to relevance. That part of his job is done.

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Not only did the Red Storm win back-to-back Big East regular season and tournament titles under Pitino, but they secured a trip to the Sweet 16 in his third season with a buzzer-beating win over Kansas.

In a college basketball season full of familiar faces, St. John’s earned its first Sweet 16 appearance in more than a quarter-century and put itself two wins away from a trip to Indianapolis for the Final Four.

Here’s a look back at the most recent St. John’s run to the Sweet 16, which included a future NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

MARCH MADNESS HQ: Live NCAA bracket | Full TV schedule | Printable bracket

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Last time St. John’s made Sweet 16

Before 2026, St. John’s most recent Sweet 16 appearance came in 1999, long before Rick Pitino arrived and before anyone on the Johnnies’ 2026 roster was born. With a new coach and expectations of a deeper NCAA Tournament run than the previous season — which ended with a first-round loss as a No. 7 seed — St. John’s entered the 1999 tournament as a No. 3 seed with a 24-8 record. The Red Storm lost the Big East Tournament championship game to UConn, but that didn’t slow the team when the Big Dance began.

St. John’s cruised to blowout wins over No. 14 Samford and No. 6 Indiana before holding No. 2 Maryland to 62 points in the Sweet 16. That victory left the Johnnies one win away from their first trip to the Final Four in 14 years, but they instead suffered a 77-74 loss to Michael Redd and Ohio State in the Elite Eight.

Three players started all 37 games for St. John’s: Bootsy Thornton, Erick Barkley and Ron Artest, who later changed his name to Metta World Peace. Thornton led the team in…

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Publish date : 2026-03-27 06:30:00

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