Inside the buzzer-beater that led St. John's to first Sweet 16 since 1999

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Inside the buzzer-beater that led St. John's to first Sweet 16 since 1999

Brent Schrotenboer, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Mon, Mar 23, 2026 ·

5 min read

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SAN DIEGO — By the time the basketball rolled off the tips of his right hand, St. John's guard Dylan Darling was moving so fast toward the basket that he didn't even see if the ball went in the hoop.

But he heard the noise that followed: The final buzzer sounded. The crowd roared.

And that's how he knew. He had just won the game for St. John's on a banked-in layup as time expired to beat No. 4 seed Kansas Sunday in the second round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament 67-65.

"I didn't actually watch it go through the net," Darling told USA TODAY Sports in the hallway outside the St. John's locker room after the game. "But I heard everybody's reaction."

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St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

Dylan Darling #0 of the St. John's Red Storm shoots the ball against Elmarko Jackson #13 and Flory Bidunga #40 of the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California.

(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

Rubén Prey #17 of the St. John's Red Storm reacts as Flory Bidunga #40 and Kohl Rosario #7 of the Kansas Jayhawks look on during the second half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California.
(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

Head coach Rick Pitino of the St. John's Red Storm celebrates a 67-65 victory against the Kansas Jayhawks after the game in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California.
(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

Ian Jackson #11 of the St. John's Red Storm drives to the basket against Tre White #3 of the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California.
(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

Zuby Ejiofor #24 of the St. John's Red Storm reacts during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California.
(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

Ian Jackson #11 of the St. John's Red Storm drives to the basket defended by Tre White #3 and Melvin Council Jr. #14 of the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California.
(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

Darryn Peterson #22 of the Kansas Jayhawks defends against Zuby Ejiofor #24 of the St. John's Red Storm during the second half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California.
(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

Dylan Darling #0 of the St. John's Red Storm drives to the basket defended by Elmarko Jackson #13 of the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California.
(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

Bryce Hopkins #23 of the St. John's Red Storm reacts during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California.
(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

Ian Jackson #11 of the St. John's Red Storm shoots the ball against Bryson Tiller #15 of the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California.
(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

Head coach Rick Pitino of the St. John's Red Storm looks on during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California.
(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

Paul Mbiya #34 of the Kansas Jayhawks blocks a shot by Zuby Ejiofor #24 of the St. John's Red Storm during the second half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California.
(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

Melvin Council Jr. #14 of the Kansas Jayhawks shoots the ball against Dillon Mitchell #1 of the St. John's Red Storm during the first half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California.
(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

Ian Jackson #11 of the St. John's Red Storm shoots the ball against the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

Zuby Ejiofor #24 of the St. John's Red Storm defends against Paul Mbiya #34 of the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California.
(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

Head coach Rick Pitino of the St. John's Red Storm reacts during the first half against the Kansas Jayhawks in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California.
(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

Rubén Prey #17 of the St. John's Red Storm shoots the ball against Flory Bidunga #40 of the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California.
(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

Flory Bidunga #40 of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts as Bryce Hopkins #23 and Zuby Ejiofor #24 of the St. John's Red Storm celebrate a 67-65 victory after the game in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California.
(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

Dylan Darling #0 of the St. John's Red Storm celebrates a 67-65 victory against the Kansas Jayhawks after the game in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California
(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

Dylan Darling #0 of the St. John's Red Storm looks on after a 67-65 victory against the Kansas Jayhawks in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California.
(Sean M. Haffey, Getty Images)

St. John's Red Storm guard Dylan Darling (0) celebrates after defeating the Kansas Jayhawks in the second half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena.
(Denis Poroy, Imagn Images)

He raised his arms in triumph right afterward. And then he got tackled by his teammates on the baseline as the Red Storm celebrated their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1999. No. 5 seed St. John's next will play No. 1 seed Duke on Friday in Washington, D.C.

But it'll be hard to top this in terms of sheer panedemonium at the end.

Here's how it went down, according the players and Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino, who is taking his fourth team the regional round in the tournament.

∎ Darling, a transfer from Idaho State, hadn't made a shot all game before the buzzer-beater. He missed on his four previous attempts - all from 3-point range.

∎ The ball went in even though the left-handed Darling shot and dribbled the ball with his right.

∎ Darling even asked his coach, Rick Pitino, to let him make that play at the end before he did it.

"This is the amazing thing, and the funniest thing I've ever been involved with," Pitino said.

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The final sequence for St. John's and coach Rick Pitino

St. John's never trailed and led by as much as 14 points in the second half before Kansas surged at the end to tie the game at 65-65 on two free throws from freshman guard Darryn Peterson with 13 seconds remaining.

St. John's got the ball back then with a chance to win. But Kansas had four fouls to give before it would force the Red Storm to the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the clock was ticking with no timeouts left, leading Darling to give some feedback to St. John's coach Rick Pitino .

What should his team do on the final play?

Pitino listened with amusement to the player he calls "Bells" because he has " balls the size of church bells ."

"We're going to run a play, but they've got fouls to give," St. John's coach Rick Pitino said afterward. "And Bells come up to me and says, 'Run power,' which is a high, back-screen pick-and-roll. So I walk away and I said, `Wait a second. He hasn't scored a bucket, and he wants to run a play for himself.' I'm thinking as I'm walking, but he's Bells. And not only did he do it, he went with his right hand. So real proud of him because to want the ball when you haven't made a shot is unbelievable."

'He hadn't done a damn good thing the whole night'

After the Jayhawks committed four fouls to disrupt the Red Storm's final possession, St. John's forward Bryce Hopkins inbounded the ball to Darling with 3.9 seconds left. He took the pass in the backcourt and went straight for the hoop, dribbling four times with his right hand away from his Kansas defender, Elmarcko Jackson.

"He got downhill, and I was kind of trailing the play just in case he missed the layup," Hopkins told USA TODAY Sports after he inbounded the ball to Darling. "I was gonna be there for the rebound, hopefully, and try to put a tip back in."

He didn't need to.

"As soon as Bells said to me to run power, I knew he could get to the rim because he hadn't done a damn good thing the whole night," Pitino said. "So I knew he was going to do it."

The St. John's locker room was loud afterward

Hopkins and St. John's forward Zuby Ejiofor each scored 18 points for St. John's. Ejiofor was near the top of the 3-point arc ready to set a screen when Darling fielded the inbounds pass. He didn't have to do much but watch.

"I was like, 'Oh my God! Big Bell strikes again,'" Ejiofor told USA TODAY Sports afterward. "That's what he's done all season."

Darling didn't think there was time for anything else. He could have passed the ball to the corners if necessary, or tossed it to Ejiofor if he didn't see an opening. There still wasn't much time.

"I saw the lane, and I just went for it," Darling said.

It might be the last 'cruel' play for Kansas coach Bill Self

This isn't how he wanted to go out, but Hall of Fame Kansas coach Bill Self said afterward he hadn't made up his mind about returning to the job next season after experiencing recent health issues. He's won two national championships, just like Pitino. This loss stings.

"One of the things that makes it so great is that it can be great," Self said. "But it can also be cruel."

By contrast, Pitino said he was "jubilant."

"We've taken another step now," said Pitino, 73. "So it's just awesome. Proud of our guys, and now it's just starting. The fun is just starting."

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer . Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rick Pitino reveals St. John's buzzer-beater play against Kansas

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Rams’ Myles Garrett reportedly on track to be activated in Week 9

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

St. John’s wins on dramatic buzzer‑beater to reach Sweet 16

Actors, athletes and icons: Famous alumni from every NCAA men’s tournament team

Actors, athletes and icons: Famous alumni from every NCAA men’s tournament team

Actors, athletes and icons: Famous alumni from every NCAA men’s tournament team

Actors, athletes and icons: Famous alumni from every NCAA men’s tournament team

Actors, athletes and icons: Famous alumni from every NCAA men’s tournament team

Actors, athletes and icons: Famous alumni from every NCAA men’s tournament team

Actors, athletes and icons: Famous alumni from every NCAA men’s tournament team

Actors, athletes and icons: Famous alumni from every NCAA men’s tournament team

Actors, athletes and icons: Famous alumni from every NCAA men’s tournament team

The final sequence for St. John's and coach Rick Pitino

'He hadn't done a damn good thing the whole night'

The St. John's locker room was loud afterward

It might be the last 'cruel' play for Kansas coach Bill Self