Trending Now - St. John's Defeats Kansas With Buzzer-beater, Reaches Sweet 16

WHO:

St. John's Red Storm basketball team

Dylan Darling, guard for St. John's

Kansas Jayhawks basketball team

Rick Pitino, head coach of St. John's

Bill Self, head coach of Kansas

Zuby Ejiofor, player for St. John's

Bryce Hopkins, player for St. John's

Darryn Peterson, player for Kansas

Melvin Council Jr., player for Kansas

WHAT:

St. John's defeated Kansas 67-65 in the NCAA tournament

Dylan Darling made a buzzer-beating layup for the victory

St. John's advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999

St. John's had a 14-point lead that was erased by Kansas

Kansas made a 20-7 run to tie the game with 13.1 seconds left

Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins each scored 18 points for St. John's

Darryn Peterson scored 21 points for Kansas

St. John's has won 21 of its last 22 games since early January 2026

WHERE:

San Diego, California, site of the NCAA tournament matchup

St. John's will face Duke in Washington, D.C. in the East Region semifinals

WHEN:

The game took place on March 22, 2026

St. John's last reached the Sweet 16 in 1999

Kansas has not returned to the Sweet 16 since winning the national title in 2022

WHY:

St. John's victory is attributed to their strong performance and late-game execution

Kansas struggled in the final minutes, scoring only four points in the last 8:21 of the game

HOW:

Dylan Darling drove the lane for a layup that banked in as time expired

Kansas used four fouls to wind down the clock before the final play

(UPDATED March 23, 2026 01:29 UTC)

In a thrilling NCAA tournament matchup on March 22, St. John's Red Storm edged out the Kansas Jayhawks with a final score of 67 to 65, thanks to a buzzer-beating layup by guard Dylan Darling. This victory marks St. John's first advancement to the Sweet 16 since 1999, after they had built a 14-point lead that Kansas managed to erase with a late-game surge. Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins each contributed 18 points for St. John's, while Darryn Peterson led Kansas with 21 points. The game, held in San Diego, saw Kansas struggle in the final minutes, scoring only four points in the last 8:21. St. John's will now face Duke in the East Region semifinals in Washington, D.C.