Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford (0) heads to the basket as St. John's guard Dylan Darling, back left, forward Bryce Hopkins (23) and Zuby Ejiofor (24) defend during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Players Era tournament Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Las Vegas. AP

Early hype derailed by a disappointing November tournament showing should sound familiar.

Exactly one year ago, St. John’s found itself in the exact same position as the current Johnnies , coming off a 1-2 showing in the Bahamas.

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“I showed them clips of last year’s team defensively in the Big East. [I tol

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