Darling hits layup at buzzer
St. John's survives Jayhawks' comeback bid to reach Sweet 16
St. John's head coach rick Pitino motions to an official during the first half of an NCAA Tournament second-ound game against Kansas on Sunday in San Diego.
NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT| SUNDAY'S ROUNDUP
SAN DIEGO — Dylan Darling hit a driving layup as time expired for his only bucket of the game, and St. John's advanced to its first Sweet 16 since 1999 with a 67-65 victory over Kansas in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.
Darling, the Johnnies' tenacious point guard, coolly won it after Kansas erased a 58-45 deficit with 7½ minutes to play, making a furious 20-7 run capped by Darryn Peterson's two free throws to tie it with 13.1 seconds left.
The Jayhawks had four fouls to give, and they used all four to wind the clock down to 3.9 seconds. That was plenty of time for Darling, the Idaho State transfer who had missed his four previous shots.
Darling got the ball up top and drove the lane for a shot that banked in as time expired. His teammates tackled him in front of the St. John's band in celebration.
Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins scored 18 points apiece for the fifthseeded Red Storm, who have roared back to college basketball prominence in just three seasons under coach Rick Pitino.
St. John's advanced to face No. 1 overall seed Duke in the East Region semifinals.
The 73-year-old Pitino and 63-year-old Bill Self coached against each other for only the second time in the Hall of Famers' decades-long careers, meeting for the first time in March Madness. They're two of the three active coaches with multiple national titles, and now Pitino still has a chance to claim his third.
With Kansas transfer Ejiofor leading the way, St. John's has won 21 of its last 22 games since early January, capped by the Johnnies' second and third NCAA Tournament victories in the past quarter-century this weekend.
Peterson scored 21 points, and Melvin Council Jr. had 15 points and nine rebounds for the fourth-seeded Jayhawks, who still haven't returned to the Sweet 16 since they claimed Self's second national title in 2022.
Iowa takes down No. 1 Florida in South Region
Alvaro Folgueiras nailed a 3-pointer with 4.5 seconds remaining, and Iowa eliminated defending national champion Florida, sending the top-seeded Gators home with a 73-72 victory on Sunday.
Under first-year coach Ben McCollum, Iowa reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2015, while Florida became the first No. 1 seed to be knocked out of this year's March Madness.
The ninth-seeded Hawkeyes wasted a 12-point lead in the second half but rallied in the final minutes.
MIDWEST IOWA ST. 82, KENTUCKY 63: Tamin Lipsey had 26 points and 10 assists to help Iowa State make up for the absence of injured All-American Joshua Jefferson, and the second-seeded Cyclones suffocated No. 7 Kentucky on defense. Jefferson, the Cyclones' second-leading scorer and top rebounder, watched from the end of the bench with the ankle that he sprained in a first-round win over Tennessee State still in a boot. Denzel Aberdeen led the Wildcats with 20 points.
TENNESSEE 79, VIRGINIA 72: Ja'Kobi Gillespie scored 21 points, Nate Ament and Bishop Boswell made critical free throws down the stretch, and sixth-seeded Tennessee beat No. 3 Virginia. A year after he helped Maryland reach the Sweet 16, Gillespie led the way for the Volunteers. Thijs De Ridder led the Cavaliers with 22 points.
WEST PURDUE 79, MIAMI 69: Fletcher Loyer scored 24 points, Trey Kaufman-Renn had 19 points and nine rebounds, and second-seeded Purdue beat No. 7 Miami. In his first game since breaking Bobby Hurley's NCAA career record for assists, Braden Smith had 12 points and eight assists but was also harassed by the Hurricanes' athletic guards into eight turnovers, matching his career high. Smith hit four free throws in the final minute after Miami cut an 11-point deficit to 73-69, helping to secure coach Matt Painter's 500th victory in 21 seasons as Purdue's coach.
ARIZONA 78, UTAH ST. 66: Jaden Bradley scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half, Motiejus Krivas had 11 points and 14 rebounds, and top-seeded Arizona beat No. 9 Utah State to advance to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in five seasons under coach Tommy Lloyd. The Wildcats will be looking to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since doing so in both 2014 and 2015. Garry Clark scored 13 for the Aggies.
