Dylan Darling had missed his first four shots of the game. With 3.9 seconds left, the ball in his hands, and Kansas down by two after a stunning second-half comeback, none of that mattered. The Idaho State transfer drove the lane, banked in a layup as the horn sounded, and sent St. John's to its first Sweet 16 in 27 years with a 67-65 win over the fourth-seeded Jayhawks in San Diego.
The final sequence was the kind of theater March Madness exists for. Kansas had trailed by as many as 13 points entering the final eight minutes, but the Jayhawks staged a 20-7 run to tie the game on Darryn Peterson's two free throws with 13.1 seconds remaining. Then, with four fouls to give, they methodically fouled the clock down to 3.9 seconds — buying every second they could. It wasn't enough. Darling caught the inbounds pass at the top of the key, blew past Elmarko Jackson, and finished with his only two points of the night.
The story within the story was Zuby Ejiofor, whose 18 points and 9 rebounds led St. John's. Ejiofor started his college career at Kansas under Bill Self before transferring to St. John's in 2023 to play for Rick Pitino — a move that now looks prescient. He spent Sunday evening eliminating his former program in front of a national audience. Bryce Hopkins also finished with 18 points for the Johnnies, who shot just 36 percent from the field but forced 16 Kansas turnovers, a number that ultimately swallowed the Jayhawks whole.
For Kansas, the loss continues a troubling recent tournament pattern. This marks the fourth consecutive year the Jayhawks have been eliminated before the Sweet 16 — a stretch of early exits that will intensify questions about the program's postseason ceiling despite another strong regular season. Peterson led Kansas with 21 points, with freshman Flory Bidunga and Melvin Council Jr. adding 12 and 15 respectively, but 16 turnovers against a physical St. John's defense proved unmanageable.
For Rick Pitino, the win is validation of a three-year rebuild of New York City's program. St. John's has won 21 of its last 22 games since early January, and the Red Storm now advance to the Sweet 16 in Washington, D.C., where they'll face No. 1 overall seed Duke. The Johnnies already know Jon Scheyer's squad — Siena gave Duke everything it could handle in the first round. Pitino versus Scheyer, New York's program against the nation's top seed. The bracket delivered.
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