Dylan Darling Hits Game-Winner to Lift St. John’s Past Fourth-Seeded Kansas and Into the Sweet 16, 67-65

Sunday, March 22

San Diego, Calif. (Viejas Arena)

5:15 p.m.

St. John's University

30-6,18-2Big East

Kansas

24-11,12-6Big 12

St. John's (NY)

Kansas

Dylan Darling Hits Game-Winner to Lift St. John’s Past Fourth-Seeded Kansas and Into the Sweet 16, 67-65

3/22/2026 9:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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The Red Storm men’s basketball team heads to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999

SAN DIEGO - Madness. Dylan Darling drained the game-winner as time expired to lift fifth-seeded St. John's (30-6) to the Sweet 16 and past fourth-seeded Kansas, 67-65, in NCAA Tournament Second Round on Sunday in San Diego.

After the Red Storm led by as many as 14 in the second half, the Jayhawks (24-11) rallied to tie the score with 13 seconds remaining. Darling prevailed as the hero kissing a lay-up off the glass as the horn sounded, to send the Red Storm into the second weekend for the first time in 26 years.

St. John's advances to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999 and will make its 10^th all-time appearance in the second weekend. The Johnnies will face top-seeded Duke on Friday, March 27 in Washington D.C. at Capital One Arena.

The Johnnies reached 30 wins for the second straight year and the fourth time in the 118-year history of St. John's Men's Basketball. Pitino became the fifth coach in NCAA Men's Basketball history to log 10 30-win seasons joining Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), John Calipari (Arkansas), Roy Williams (North Carolina) and Bill Self (Kansas).

Zuby Ejiofor recorded 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists against his former team. Bryce Hopkins caught fire from deep finishing with a career-high six made 3-pointers and 18 points. His six makes from beyond-the-arc set a new St. John's NCAA Tournament program record and marked the most by any Red Storm player this season.

Ian Jackson tallied 10 points, Dillon Mitchell chipped nine boards and eight points, and Darling made his lone bucket of the game at the final moment.

Kansas' Darryn Peterson led all scorers with 21 points on Sunday at Viejas Arena. The Johnnies forced Jayhawks into 16 turnovers and converted the takeaways into 18 points.

The first five makes of the game came from beyond-the-arc as both teams found their shooting strokes early. Mitchell intercepted a pass and finished a crafty lay-in on the other end to close an 8-0 run, 11-6, at the under-16 media timeout. Jackson flushed a second chance triple as the run expanded to 11 unanswered points. The Jayhawks capitalized on an offensive cold streak for the Red Storm to eventually tie contest at 16.

In a rock fight in San Diego, points proved hard to come by in the opening half. The Jayhawks crept back within a single-point, 25-24, with 2:25 remaining. Ruben Prey and Joson Sanon knocked down crucial 3-pointers to lift the Johnnies out of a slump pushing the edge to seven, 31-24. The Johnnies went into the locker room with a 34-26 halftime lead behind seven made triples in the opening 20 minutes.

In the latter stanza, Hopkins knocked down an early triple as he stayed hot in San Diego. Kansas got back within five before the spurt was broken up by a highlight-reel fastbreak lay-in from Jackson. Hopkins splashed his fifth 3-pointer to propel the cushion double-digits for the first time, 47-37, with 13:49 remaining. The Red Storm continued to create distance after consecutive buckets by Dillon Mitchell ballooned the advantage to as many as 14 with just under nine minutes left, 56-42.

The Jayhawks engineered an 8-0 scoring run to climb within five with 5:19 to play. Ejiofor came up clutch the high-leverage moment responding with an offensive rebound, made lay-up before coming up with a steal and another pivotal basket to bring the lead back to nine. Kansas once again would not go down without a fight pulling within one after a Flory Bidunga tip-in, 62-61, with 1:58 to play. Hopkins responded with a huge triple but Kansas tied the game at the free throw line with 13 seconds to go.

On the final play of the game, Darling drove down the lane sinking the underhand game-winner to a deliver a moment that will be remembered on the corner of Union Turnpike and Utopia Parkway for years to come.

St. John's will head to the NCAA Tournament East Regional to take on Duke in the Sweet 16 on Friday. Television network and game time will be announced after the completion of games on Sunday.