If Kansas vs St. John’s isn’t the most intriguing game of the NCAA Tournament Second Round, it’s not far off.
St. John’s is on a roll. Since very early January, the Red Storm are 20-1, with the lone loss coming in a blowout against UConn.
Since then, everything has clicked, including a Big East Championship rocking of the Huskies, and a layup of a win over Northern Iowa in the first round.
Win, and it’ll be the first time the program gets past the second round since 1999.
Kansas has the most talented player in college basketball in Darryn Peterson, and the parts around him are great, but the team has been an enigma all year. It was blowing out Cal Baptist, took the final five minutes off, and had to hang on for the win. But if this bunch turns it on …
This probably won’t be the last game of the tournament for the winner.
Kansas vs St. John’s Game Preview: Can Darryn Peterson Carry the Jayhawks?
Kansas vs St. John’s How To Watch
Date: Sunday, March 22
Venue: Viejas Arena, San Diego, CA
Time: 5:15 pm ET
TV: CBS
Streaming: March Madness Live App, Paramount+, HBO Max
Teams: (4) Kansas 24-10, (5) St. John’s 29-6
CFN Spring Football Rankings
Kansas 61 | St. Johns Not Ranked
First Round
St. John’s 79, Northern Iowa 53
Kansas 68, California Baptist 60
– CFN NCAA Tournament Schedule, Previews
Key Stats
– St. John’s blew out Northern Iowa, and had just one point generated from the fast break.
– Kansas survived on the free throw line, hitting 12-of-14. Cal Baptist made 10-of-19.
Why St. John’s Will Win: The Red Storm Will Rebound
Rick Pitino’s team will play its style, no matter what.
St. John’s is normally great at getting on the move and making plays on the fly, but it showed against UNI that it could win easily without having to make it a track meet. Kansas can run, but not like the Red Storm.
Great on the boards, better at getting to the free throw line, and with a tough inside presence, this is the exact type of team that can shut down what the Jayhawks do. There’s one thing, though, that the Red Storm don’t have …
Why Kansas Will Win: The Jayhawks Have Darryn Peterson, and St. John’s Doesn’t
This has been a brutally dysfunctional season for Kansas. There’s more than enough talent to win the national title, but to say it hasn’t meshed is a whopper of an understatement.
However, when Peterson turns it on, he can take over the game, and there isn’t anything any team in college basketball can do to stop it.
He came up with 28 points in the win over Cal Baptist, and when needed, he can be the main man.
But in this, if Kansas can be more even, get everyone else involved, and rely on the tough defense and nasty rebounding, it can get out alive.
Kansas vs St. John’s Prediction, Betting Lines
This will probably go one of two ways. Either 22 will take over for Kansas and have a game for the ages, or St. John’s will play a fantastic team game with explosion, toughness on the inside, and lots and lots of transition points.
And then there’s a third possibility. Peterson is fine, the Jayhawk defense takes nasty to another level, and this is a classic with 19 twists and turns before Kansas hangs on for dear life to move on.
Prediction: Kansas 71, St. John’s 69
Consensus Line: St. John’s -3.5, o/u: 144.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1.5
Consensus Line from BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Related: Iowa State vs Kentucky Prediction and Preview: NCAA Tournament Second Round
This story was originally published by College Football News on Mar 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Basketball section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.