Sports
St. John's Advances to Sweet 16 with Buzzer-Beating Shot Against Kansas
St. John's secured a 67-65 victory over Kansas on Sunday in San Diego, advancing to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999. Dylan Darling scored the decisive basket, a driving layup at the buzzer, marking his only points of the game.
Dylan Darling, St. John's point guard, secured a dramatic 67-65 win for his team against Kansas on Sunday in San Diego. With nine seconds remaining in a tied NCAA Tournament contest, Darling received the ball at midcourt. Despite having missed his previous four attempts, a performance that led coach Rick Pitino to advise against aiming, Darling executed a play he had envisioned for himself. His successful driving layup as time expired propelled St. John's into the Sweet 16. This marks the first time since 1999 that the Johnnies have progressed to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Darling expressed humility regarding his game-winning shot, acknowledging his teammates' contributions. St. John's is now set to face top-seeded Duke in the East Region semifinals in Washington.
Key Facts
- St. John's defeated Kansas 67-65 in an NCAA Tournament game on Sunday.
- The game-winning shot was a driving layup by Dylan Darling at the buzzer.
- Darling's basket was his only successful shot of the entire game.
- This victory sends St. John's to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 27 years.
- The last time St. John's reached this stage of the NCAA Tournament was in 1999.
- Coach Rick Pitino had previously advised Darling to stop aiming his shots after earlier misses.
- St. John's will next compete against No. 1 overall seed Duke in the East Region semifinals.