St. John's Stuns Kansas 67-65 on Buzzer-Beater: Red Storm Reach First Sweet 16 Since 1999
Dylan Darling hit a driving layup as time expired, and St. John's basketball completed one of the most dramatic finishes of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, knocking off the Kansas Jayhawks 67-65 in San Diego on Sunday. The St. John's Red Storm advance to face Duke in the East Region Sweet 16 in Washington, marking the program's first appearance in that round in 27 years.
Dylan Darling's Buzzer-Beater Sends St. John's Basketball Past Kansas
Darling, the Johnnies' tenacious point guard, coolly delivered the winner after Kansas erased a 58-45 deficit with 7.5 minutes to play, making a furious 20-7 run capped by Darryn Peterson's two free throws to tie it at 65 with 13.1 seconds left.
The Jayhawks had four fouls to give and used all four to wind the clock down to 3.9 seconds. That was plenty of time for Darling, the Idaho State transfer who had missed his four previous shots. He got the ball up top, drove the lane, and banked in a shot as the buzzer sounded.
His teammates tackled him in front of the St. John's Red Storm band in pure celebration. The KU vs St. John's game will be remembered as one of the wildest endings in recent tournament history.
Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins Carry St. John's vs Kansas
Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins scored 18 points apiece for the fifth-seeded Red Storm, who have roared back to college basketball prominence in just three seasons under coach Rick Pitino.
Ejiofor stole the show with a complete game, posting 18 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. The Kansas transfer had the defining performance for his new school against his old one — a storyline that added enormous emotional weight to the St. John's vs Kansas matchup.
Bryce Hopkins drilled four three-pointers in the second half alone, giving the Red Storm consistent perimeter pressure that Kansas could never fully neutralize. Senior Melvin Council Jr. added 15 points and 9 rebounds to round out a complete team effort.
Kansas Basketball Collapses After Leading Most of the Second Half
The Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team had every opportunity to close this one out and could not do it. Kansas erased a 13-point deficit to tie the game at 65, but could not deliver the final stop needed to send the game to overtime or win it outright.
Peterson scored 21 points and Melvin Council Jr. had 15 points and nine rebounds for the fourth-seeded Jayhawks, who still have not returned to the Sweet 16 since claiming Bill Self's second national title in 2022.
After Kansas ended Arizona's unbeaten season in a landmark victory on Feb. 9, the Jayhawks subsequently lost six of their final 11 games. That late-season inconsistency ultimately proved fatal in San Diego.
Rick Pitino vs Bill Self: A Hall of Fame Coaching Duel
The St. John's vs Kansas game featured a sideline subplot as compelling as anything on the court. The 73-year-old Pitino and 63-year-old Self coached against each other for only the second time in their decades-long Hall of Fame careers, meeting for the first time ever in March Madness. They are two of the three active coaches with multiple national championships.
Rick Pitino said he experienced one of the funniest moments of his coaching career in the moments just before Darling's buzzer-beater. Details of that moment are expected to emerge as the week progresses.
The St. John's basketball program has now won its second and third NCAA Tournament games in the past quarter-century across this single weekend — a remarkable statement about how quickly Pitino has rebuilt the Red Storm.
St. John's Red Storm Basketball Schedule: Duke Awaits in Sweet 16
St. John's advanced to face No. 1 overall seed Duke in the East Region semifinals in Washington. The Red Storm enter that matchup on a scorching run.
St. John's has won 21 of its last 22 games since early January, capped by the Johnnies' back-to-back tournament wins this weekend. The Red Storm won the Big East regular-season and tournament titles during their surge and have not let up.
The St. John's Red Storm are 30-6 on the season and riding the kind of momentum that makes them a genuine threat to upset the top overall seed. Where is St. John's University? The Queens, New York institution has now put itself firmly back on the national college basketball map — and the Sweet 16 stage awaits.
