St. John's Secures Sweet 16 Berth in Thrilling Upset Over Kansas
St. John's has advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, securing a dramatic victory over Kansas in the second round. The game was decided by a last-second basket, marking a significant milestone for the Red Storm program. This advancement is St. John's first to this stage in 27 years. The highly anticipated contest featured a notable matchup between Hall of Fame coaches Rick Pitino of St. John's and Bill Self of Kansas.
Game Outcome: St. John's Advances in Thriller
The game concluded with St. John's prevailing over Kansas in a nail-biting finish. With the score tied, St. John's player Darling, who had not previously scored in the game, executed a play named "Power." He scored the game-winning basket in the final 3.9 seconds. Darling later admitted he did not witness the ball enter the hoop, but instead reacted to the crowd's response.
Darling, who had not previously scored in the game, executed a play named "Power," scoring the game-winning basket in the final 3.9 seconds.
The contest included periods of low scoring for both teams. Kansas experienced a 7-minute, 50-second stretch without a field goal, while St. John's endured a nearly six-minute scoring drought in the first half. Kansas's defensive strategy involved providing St. John's shooters with space. St. John's guard Bryce Hopkins responded by making 6 of 9 three-point attempts, despite having made only 25 three-pointers in his prior 35 games this season.
Program Significance
St. John's Breaks Long Drought
For St. John's, the win marked their first advancement to the Sweet 16 in 27 years. Forward Zuby Ejiofor commented on the significance of the victory for the program, noting they had not reached this stage since 1999. Since 1999, the program recorded 17 seasons with losing conference records and saw six different head coaches, including Steve Lavin and Chris Mullin. Coach Pitino was brought in to lead the program, and the team completed his third season with this tournament run.
Kansas's Tournament Struggles Continue
For Kansas, the loss marked their fourth consecutive season failing to advance past the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. A Sweet 16 appearance would have been their first since their 2022 championship season.
Coaching Giants Collide
Hall of Fame Showdown
The second-round game in San Diego placed Hall of Fame coaches Rick Pitino, leading the No. 5 seed St. John's Red Storm, against Bill Self, leading the No. 4 seed Kansas Jayhawks, within the East region. The winner was scheduled to advance to the Sweet 16, potentially facing top seed Duke.
This was the second head-to-head game between Pitino and Self. Their previous encounter in November 2021 resulted in a 13-point victory for Kansas over Pitino's Iona team.
Respective Legacies and Controversies
Both coaches hold two national titles; however, Pitino's 2013 Louisville title was vacated by the NCAA due to violations. Pitino has reached seven Final Fours with three different programs, while Self has three Final Four appearances, all with Kansas.
Both coaches were implicated in the 2017 FBI investigation into college basketball corruption.
Following the investigation, Louisville dismissed Pitino. Kansas supported Self, granting him a “lifetime” contract in 2021. Pitino subsequently coached professionally in Greece before returning to college basketball with Iona and then St. John’s. Self has maintained his tenure at Kansas.
Career Trajectories
Pitino's coaching career spans six college programs (Boston U., Providence, Kentucky, Louisville, Iona, St. John’s) and two NBA franchises (New York Knicks, Boston Celtics). Self has held head coaching positions at Oral Roberts, Tulsa, Illinois, and Kansas, remaining at Kansas for 23 years.
Team and Player Dynamics
St. John's Hot Streak Continues
St. John’s entered the tournament having won seven consecutive games and 20 of their last 21. Prior to the Kansas game, the Red Storm had not trailed for 176 minutes and 41 seconds of game action since March 6.
Kansas had recently experienced a loss in the Big 12 tournament semifinals to Houston and secured a late-game victory against No. 13 seed California Baptist in the NCAA first round. Darryn Peterson was noted as a key player for Kansas.
Former Jayhawk Stars for Red Storm
St. John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor, a former Kansas player, transferred to play for Pitino and had become an All-American. He led St. John’s in scoring (16.3 ppg), rebounds (7.3), assists (3.5), and blocks (2.2). Coach Self acknowledged Ejiofor's development into a "complete four-man."
Coach Pitino's Composed Reaction
Following the game-winning shot, Coach Pitino did not display overt emotion and proceeded to the handshake line. He later commented on having experienced both wins and losses decided at the buzzer. Pitino stated the win was important for advancing St. John's and indicated the team's goals had not yet been fully achieved.