Rick Pitino let fans and reporters in on what led to his decisive call to stun Kansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The St. John’s head coach surprisingly went to scoreless guard Dylan Darling with the game on the line at Viejas Arena in San Diego, Calif. With 3.9 seconds left in a tie game, Pitino gave Darling the runway to score the game-winning layup to put the Red Storm ahead 67-65 as time expired.
Pitino had an ice-cold reaction to Darling’s bucket in the moment, but was in a much more chipper mood during St. John’s postgame press conference. Pitino gave context to the ballsy decision to entrust the final possession to Darling, whom he affectionately calls “Bells.”
“Here’s the amazing thing, and the funniest thing I’ve ever been involved with,” Pitino told reporters. “So, we’re going to run a play … Bells comes up to me, and says run Power, which is a high back screen pick-and-roll.
“So I walk away, and I said, ‘Wait a second, he hasn’t scored a bucket, and he wants to run a play for himself.’ And I’m thinking, as I’m walking, ‘But he’s Bells! … I’m real proud of him because to want the ball when you haven’t made a shot is unbelievable.”
Rick Pitino on Dylan Darling's game-winner:
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 23, 2026
"Bells comes up to me, and says run (a play for me). So I walk away like, wait a second, he hasn't scored a bucket and he wants to run a play for himself. And I'm thinking, but he's Bells!" 😂 pic.twitter.com/ZljWm4UASs
Darling’s “Bells” nickname rang true in a big way against Kansas. Pitino famously said that Darling had “balls as big as church bells” after the junior guard hit a clutch three-pointer against Xavier in January.
Dylan Darling takes the lead back for St. John’s with just 50 seconds remaining Xavier now trails by 2.#LetsGoX
— Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) January 24, 2026
pic.twitter.com/xdZcE0IGzq
The nickname stuck for a reason. Darling became the only player in NCAA Tournament history to score his first basket in a game on a game-winning buzzer-beater.
