“That kid [Dylan Darling] has balls the size of church bells,” said Rick Pitino after their extraordinary come-from-behind victory over Xavier on Jan. 24.
Five seconds left, one shot to go, Darling lowered his head and drove into the paint with two Kansas defenders ready to contest the shot. That didn’t matter for the point guard — knowing it was his moment, he made the play to the basket. Winning it for St. John’s.
The bench rushed the floor, coaches jumped up and down, besides for Pitino — who kept his aura in tact as he met Bill Self at half-court to shake hands.
St. John’s started their journey in San Diego as a No. 5 seed on March 19, cruising by No. 12 Northern Iowa to send them to the round of 32.
However, their second round game provided the biggest test of the season, a clash against Darryn Peterson, Bill Self and the historic Kansas program.
A matchup of the decade — a legendary bout, between two head coaches with some of the best history in the sport. For St. John’s, a win would send them to their first sweet 16 since 1999, sending Kansas home during the first weekend for the fourth consecutive season.
It’s exactly what the Red Storm did, surviving the Jayhawks in a 67-65 win.
Although it was the Darryn Peterson show, Kansas failed to find production from anyone else, falling behind the dominant St. John’s defense. The top NBA prospect totaled 21 points while shooting 5-for-15 from the field. The rest of the team only tallied 65 points.
From tip-off, energy was high-octane — with the Johnnies draining three quick shots from beyond-the-arc, led by a strong start from Bryce Hopkins, who nailed his first two three-pointers. Peterson however provided immediate trouble for the Red Storm defense, scoring the first six Jayhawks points at the expense of Dylan Darling, who he left in the dust on a tough mid-range step-back shot.
The Red Storm continued finding points from three, carrying a 11-0 run through the first six minutes, pushing their lead to 14-6. The Jayhawk’s biggest flaw was instantly exposed, finding offense outside of Peterson.
With Peterson heading to the bench, both teams exchanged what looked like a local rec center basketball game, with both teams missing consecutive shots, especially the Red Storm, who missed nine consecutive field goals, allowing Kansas to create a 7-0 run, cutting the lead down to 16-14.
Both teams continued the sloppy play, but the Johnnies defense kept them in front going into half, forcing nine turnovers while holding them to a 10-for-29 start from the field, keeping Peterson at just nine points.
Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins were both driving forces, each respectably tallying nine points through the first half, with Ejiofor grabbing eight rebounds. To end the contest, both finished with a team-high 18 points, Hopkins delivering one of his strongest performances of the year by going 6-for-9 from three.
Hopkins opened the second half continuing his strong performance from three, hitting two shots to put St. John’s up 47-37. Momentum resided in Queens, with three more forced turnovers.
However, Peterson wouldn’t let the world forget about his talent, single-handily putting Kansas back into the game. It was desperation time, five minutes left with the Red Storm up 13. The freshman scored five consecutive points, bringing Kansas within five.
The final five minutes of a March Madness game instantly becomes must-watch TV, where everything should instantly be dropped to view peak cinema. In response to the potential No.1 pick in the NBA draft, Ejiofor and St. John’s found a rhythm inside with Ejiofor scoring four points in back-to-back possessions.
It’s a saying as old as time, “the game ain’t over til the fat lady sings,” Kansas finding a way to somehow erase the 14-point St. John’s lead they held with nine minutes remaining. It was going to be final shot in favor of the Johnnies, where Bill Self had his team foul four consecutive times, trying to pause their attempt of getting the ball over half-court.
The fouls didn’t work, destiny arrived — the lady sang, the Johnnies were victorious.
“I’m just glad it went in, because if it didn’t, I’m probably not on the flight back to New York tonight,” said Darling after his buzzer beater.
History made with Rick Pitino — from a season that looked grey through non-conference play, followed by a stretch of basketball where they won 21 of 23 games, including back-to-back Big East regular season and conference titles, the first team to ever accomplish this feat in Big East history.
Next up? A date with the best team in the country, Duke. The Blue Devils have struggled through their first two games, with a scare against No. 16 Siena to open the tournament, where they trailed 13 entering the second half, the largest lead ever for a 16 seed over a number one.
