St. John’s Basketball on the Rise in NCAA Men’s Bracketology

Joe Lunardi's NCAA Men's Bracketology update is a good one for the St. John's Red Storm.

Oct 25, 2026; New York, NY, USA; St. John's Red Storm forward Keyshawn Hall (7) celebrates with his teammates after scoring in the second half against the Texas Longhorns at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. John’s Red Storm still don’t have everything settled when it comes to their roster despite being just days away from the start of the 2026-27 men’s college basketball season.

Right now, the team has everyone on the roster eligible, but that could change at any moment. The situation is fluid, with several players around the country receiving bad news when it comes to their eligibility, attempting to play under the new 5-in-5 rules.

St. John’s is still waiting on official word for Babacar Sane, who has a hearing set for Nov. 9 after the team plays two regular season games, and Keyshawn Hall. Both players have temporary restraining orders, making them eligible for now.

Their eligibility will have a major impact on the team’s outlook this season, but just days away from things officially tipping off, the Red Storm are heading in the right direction, according to the recent NCAA Men’s Bracketology update shared by Joe Lunardi of ESPN.

What seed is St. John's in the newest NCAA Men's Bracketology update?

Oct 25, 2026; New York, NY, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

St. John’s has received their highest projected seed thus far as the No. 4 in the Midwest Region, with their games being played in Minneapolis during the first weekend and Kansas City if they are fortunate enough to advance.

It is a move up one seed from the previous installment that Lunardi shared. In this update, they would face the No. 13-seeded McNeese State Cowboys, who are predicted to be the automatic qualifier from the Southland Conference.

This pod would present a potential rematch for the Red Storm. The No. 5 seed, Alabama Crimson Tide, is already on their schedule for a game in December. The SEC contenders are lined up to face the No. 12 seed, a play-in game between the North Carolina State Wolfpack out of the ACC and Utah State Aggies out of the new-look PAC-12.

Seeded above St. John’s in the Midwest Region are the Illinois Fighting Illini, who are No. 1, Houston Cougars, who are No. 2, and the Virginia Cavaliers, who are No. 3.

It will certainly be interesting to see how things shake out for the Red Storm as the season moves along. They should have their sights set on landing somewhere in the East Region because those games will eventually move to New York City and be played at Madison Square Garden.

That is where St. John’s is playing all of their conference home games this season, some of their non-conference games and where the Big East Tournament is held. It would create a massive home-court advantage for the Red Storm if they were able to secure a spot in the East Region and advance to the Sweet 16.