St. John’s stays alive in March Madness 2026 on game-winner Rick Pitino calls ‘funniest thing’
The first game-winning buzzer-beater of March Madness 2026 was scored by a St. John’s player who hadn’t scored all game.
Mar 22, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; 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. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images St.
John’s is going to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999 thanks to the newest ‘Darling’ of March Madness. After squandering a 14-point lead with eight minutes to go, the Red Storm knocked off Kansas 67-65 on a lay-up from guard Dylan Darling, who hadn’t scored a point all game and had his previous four shot attempts all come from three-point range. DYLAN DARLING WINS IT FOR ST.
JOHN'S THE JOHNNIES ARE HEADED TO THE SWEET 16 FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1999 pic. twitter. com/DvRxlqkISv — CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 22, 2026 The backstory to this final possession is one not often seen in men’s college basketball.
With 13 seconds left, Kansas phenom Darryn Peterson sunk two free throws to give the Jayhawks their first tie since it was 6-6 early in the first half. Kansas had only been charged with two personal fouls up to this point, so head coach Bill Self instructed his team to use their remaining four fouls to give. Every foul occurred in the back court and took the clock all the way down to 3.