Kansas saw its season come to a heartbreaking end Sunday as St. John’s Red Storm delivered a buzzer-beating 67-65 victory in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament.
Trailing by as many as 14 points in the second half, the Jayhawks mounted a furious comeback and erased a 66-42 deficit with just over eight minutes remaining. Freshman standout Darryn Peterson capped the rally by sinking two clutch free throws with 13.1 seconds left to tie the game at 65.
Kansas used all four of its remaining fouls to bleed the clock down to just 3.9 seconds, seemingly setting up a final defensive stand. But St. John’s guard Darling — who had missed his first four shots of the game — took the inbound, drove the lane, and banked in the game-winning layup as time expired, sending the Red Storm bench into celebration.
The dramatic finish propelled St. John’s to its first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 1999 and improved the team to 30-6 on the season.
Peterson led Kansas with 21 points, while senior Melvin Council added 15 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore Flory Bidunga contributed 12 points and three blocks in the loss. Kansas concludes its season at 24-11.
For St. John’s, Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins each scored 18 points, helping continue a remarkable turnaround under head coach Rick Pitino. The Red Storm have now won 21 of their last 22 games, a surge that included both the Big East regular-season and tournament titles.
The matchup also marked a rare coaching duel between Hall of Famers Pitino and Kansas head coach Bill Self — just their second meeting and first in NCAA Tournament play.
St. John’s now advances to face top-seeded Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball in the East Region semifinals in Washington, D.C., as its postseason run continues.
