Rick Pitino has been to the Sweet 16 before, and he sure acted like it on Sunday after St. John’s beat Kansas at the buzzer.
St. John’s guard Dylan Darling caught the ball in the backcourt with 3.9 seconds left and got all the way to the cup for a layup that sent the crowd into a frenzy at Viejas Arena in San Diego, Calif. Darling’s clutch bucket gave the 5-seed Red Storm a 67-65 win over the 4-seed Jayhawks in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
But judging by Pitino’s reaction directly after the play, one might have assumed Darling had missed. The veteran coach had a steely look on his face as if the game were headed to overtime.
🚨 WE HAVE A MARCH BUZZER BEATER WIN FOR THE JOHNIES 🚨
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) March 22, 2026
DYLAN DARLING SENDS ST. JOHNS TO THE SWEET 16 pic.twitter.com/18WNZyP5WP
Rick Pitino's reaction to the buzzer beater was all business. pic.twitter.com/jAYGWjxUZa
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 22, 2026
With St. John’s victory, Pitino is set to coach in his 13th Sweet 16 matchup, with the 1-seed Duke Blue Devils standing between him and his 9th appearance in the Elite 8.
Darling had not made a shot all game, but Pitino trusted the junior to deliver in the biggest moment of the contest. He finished with 2 points coming on a shot immortalized in March Madness and St. John’s lore. Darling became the first player in NCAA Tournament history to have his only field goal come on a game-winning buzzer-beater.
St. John’s has lost just one game since January 6th, with the lone defeat coming in an embarrassing drubbing at the hands of UConn. The Red Storm avenged the loss by beating the Huskies in the Big East Tournament Final earlier this month.
