An NCAA tournament that’s been largely predictable near the end of the first weekend got some much-needed madness Sunday in one of the most anticipated games of the day.
After surrendering a late 13-point lead, Rick Pitino and St. John’s escaped with a 67-65 victory against Kansas in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament thanks to some heroics from one of its less-heralded starters.
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REQUIRED READING: St. John’s vs Kansas live updates: Red Storm wins on buzzer-beater, headed to Sweet 16
With the score tied at 65 with 3.9 seconds remaining, Red Storm guard Dylan Darling received the inbounds pass near midcourt and drove to the basket, getting by his defender and making a contested layup as time expired to give his team an anxiety-inducing win.
The shot sent St. John’s to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999. There, it will take on No. 1 overall seed Duke.
The Red Storm largely controlled the game against the Jayhawks and potential No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick Darryn Peterson, leading for 93% of the contest and going up by as many as 14 in the second half. Until Darling’s layup, though, they had been outscored 20-7 in the final 6:29 of regulation.
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The basket gave Darling his only points of the day on his only attempt from inside the 3-point arc of the afternoon. The 6-foot-1 junior had missed each of his previous four attempts from the field, all of which came from 3. He contributed in other ways, though, finishing with a team-high four assists and two steals.
And now, thanks to one determined drive to the bucket, he’ll live forever in St. John’s basketball lore.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: St. John’s buzzer-beater vs Kansas sends Red Storm to first Sweet 16 since 1999
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