St. John's beats Kansas 67-65 on Darling's layup at the buzzer in March Madness
AP News • • general
Key Points:
- Dylan Darling scored his only basket of the game with a driving layup in the final seconds, leading St. John’s to a 67-65 victory over Kansas and advancing the Red Storm to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999.
- Despite missing his first four shots, Darling confidently called and executed the winning play, earning praise from coach Rick Pitino and teammates for his toughness and clutch performance.
- St. John’s, now 30-6, has surged under Pitino with 21 wins in their last 22 games, capturing the Big East regular-season and tournament titles and returning to national prominence.
- Kansas, led by Darryn Peterson’s 21 points, mounted a late comeback but fell short, extending their Sweet 16 drought since 2022 despite strong efforts down the stretch.
- St. John’s will face No. 1 seed Duke in the East Region semifinals, with Pitino expressing hope for another dramatic tournament moment reminiscent of historic March Madness finishes.
