St. John’s men’s basketball’s NCAA Tournament run ends after intense Sweet Sixteen battle with Duke
The Red Storm gave the number one overall seed everything they had, but the Blue Devils made all of the clutch plays
Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Caleb Foster (1) dribbles the ball past St. John's Red Storm forward Dillon Mitchell (1) in the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images The Johnnies left it all out on the court for over forty electric minutes.
They traded big play after big play with a proven national title contender. However, they couldn’t close the deal at the end. St.
John’s’ deepest foray through the NCAA Tournament this century ends after three games, as the Red Storm fell to the top-seeded Blue Devils in an 80-75 gauntlet of a Sweet Sixteen matchup. Trailing 78-75 after Isaiah Evans split two free throws, St. John’s had one last chance to tie it.
Round of 32 hero Dylan Darling shook Dame Sarr loose and pulled up for a deep three with four seconds remaining, but late-game lightning couldn’t strike twice for Darling, missing the basket wide to the left. Duke super freshman Cameron Boozer drew a foul and made a pair of clinching free throws to end the Red Storm’s season and send the Blue Devils into the Elite Eight. Following a back-and-forth first half, St.