College basketball fans are in for a treat this Friday night as No. 5 seed St. John's will squareIy off against No. 1 seed Duke for a spot in the Elite Eight.
The road to the Sweet 16 hasn't been easy for St. John's. It took a game-winner from Dylan Darling to defeat No. 4 seed Kansas last Sunday. Although he was struggling all game, Darling showed his determination by driving to the rim and coming up huge for his teammates when they needed him most.
"Bells (Darling) comes up to me and says, run ‘Power,’ which is a high, back-screen pick-and-roll," St. John's coach Rick Pitino told reporters. "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?’ But he’s Bells — and not only did he do it, he went with his right hand. I’m real proud of him because to want the ball when you haven’t made a shot is unbelievable."
Pitino immediately turned his attention over to Duke after Sunday's win over Kansas. He made it clear that he's got revenge on his mind.
In 1992, Christian Laettner hit a buzzer-beater to send Duke to the Final Four. His game-winning shot came against Kentucky, which was coached by Pitino at that time.
Although more than three decades have passed since Laettner's iconic shot, Pitino hasn't forgotten about that moment.
"Hopefully, we can get Duke at the buzzer next time and make up for that Laettner shot," Pitino said.
Key to St. John's pulling off the upset vs. Duke.
If St. John's wants to defeat Duke tonight, it's crucial that Pitino's defense slows down Cameron Boozer.
Through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, Boozer has 41 points and 24 rebounds. He's been an absolute machine for Duke.
“Well what they’re doing is they are playing him a lot at the point guard,” Pitino said. “And they have the guard set a screen, trying to cause a switch. Then you are stuck with a one or a two, trying to defend him. And that’s not easy to do. Picture Charles Barkley coming down the lane on you.”
Tipoff for the St. John's-Duke game is at 7:10 p.m. ET on CBS.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Mar 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Basketball section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.