St. Thomas-Minnesota Tommies basketball — program history
St. Thomas's basketball program dates to 1920, and the St. Paul school made a historic and controversial jump directly from Division III to Division I in 2021. The Tommies compete in the Summit League and are the only school ever to make this leap.
The name
The Tommies nickname is derived from the university's name, St. Thomas — a "Tommie" is a student or athlete of St. Thomas, a simple and enduring identifier.
Signature moment
Making the unprecedented jump from Division III directly to Division I in 2021, the only school in NCAA history to receive a waiver to skip Division II.
St. Thomas is the only school in NCAA history to jump directly from Division III to Division I, bypassing Division II entirely — the move was approved after the MIAC forced them out for being too dominant.
The St. Thomas-Minnesota Tommies compete in the Summit League and hold an all-time record of 97–67 (.591 winning percentage) across 5 recorded seasons dating back to 2021-22.
Season-by-season results
| Season | Record | Conference | Coach | AP peak |
|---|
| 2025-26 | 24-10 | 12-4 (Summit) | John Tauer | |
| 2024-25 | 24-10 | 12-4 (Summit) | John Tauer | |
| 2023-24 | 20-13 | 9-7 (Summit) | John Tauer | |
| 2022-23 | 19-14 | 9-9 (Summit) | John Tauer | |
| 2021-22 | 10-20 | 4-14 (Summit) | John Tauer | |
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