St. John's stuns Kansas
St. John’s pulled off one of the tournament’s signature upsets with a last‑seconds layup — hitting the game‑winner with about 6 seconds left to beat Kansas and wreck thousands of brackets. (youtube.com) The finish has already become the go‑to highlight on recap shows and podcasts today. (youtube.com)
St. John’s (No. 5 seed) edged Kansas (No. 4) 67–65 on March 22, 2026 at Viejas Arena in San Diego. (espn.com: ) Dylan Darling had been scoreless until the final sequence — he missed his first four attempts and then produced his only field goal with 3.9 seconds remaining. (espn.com: ) Pitino said Darling instructed him to “run power” on the last play despite his cold night, a call Pitino admitted surprised him but ultimately approved. (espn.com: ) Senior Bryce Hopkins poured in 18 points — all from 3‑point range — and transfer Zuby Ejiofor also finished with 18 for St. John’s. (espn.com: ) Kansas mounted a 20‑7 comeback to erase a 58–45 deficit; freshman Darryn Peterson led KU with 21 points and sank two free throws to tie the game with 13.1 seconds left before Kansas used four fouls to wind the clock to 3.9 seconds. (kuathletics.com: ) The victory sends St. John’s to its first Sweet 16 since 1999, where the No. 5 Red Storm will meet the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, Duke, in the East Region’s regional semifinal at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. (yahoo.com: )
