St. John's buzzer-beater video: Dylan Darling sends Rick Pitino's squad to Sweet 16 with win over Kansas originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Rick Pitino and St. John's are headed to the Sweet 16, and it might not be possible without Dylan Darling.
With their backs against the wall after a late-game collapse, the Red Storm survived and advanced against a relentless Kansas team when Darling drove to the basket and sunk a game-winning shot at the buzzer to give the Red Storm a 67-65 win.
The moment came after Kansas tied the score on two Darryn Peterson free throws, then committed four fouls to take time off the clock and give St. John's as little time as possible to get a shot off. The Jayhawks got the clock down from 13 seconds to 3.9, but it wasn't enough to prevent Darling from becoming the hero for New York's team.
Here's a look at the moment St. John's advanced to the Sweet 16.
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St. John's buzzer beater vs. Kansas
Darling never gave up the ball after taking the inbounds pass with 3.9 seconds remaining, driving to the basket and putting it right in at the buzzer to send the St. John's bench into a frenzy.
#5 ST. JOHN’S WINS IT AT THE BUZZER!! THE RED STORM ARE GOING TO THE SWEET 16 FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1999!! DYLAN DARLING DOES IT
pic.twitter.com/3oU2AC24n6— NCAA Buzzer Beaters & Game Winners (@NCAABuzzerBters) March 22, 2026
Those were Darling's first points of the game. Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins carried the load for St. John's offensively in what was a defense-heavy game, but Pitino drew up a play that forced Kansas' defense to focus on the rest of his offensive weapons while Darling took advantage of a clear path to the rim.
Here's another look at the buzzer beater from Darling:
NOTHING LIKE THIS SPORT 🔥#MarchMadnesshttps://t.co/fsz9U502urpic.twitter.com/SvmVUiTw8U
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2026
Darling's shot is the first true game-winning buzzer beater in the NCAA Tournament since Derik Queen sent Maryland to the Sweet 16 in 2025, and it's only the sixth in the last 10 tournaments.
Here is every winner in the men's NCAA Tournament since 2016 with 0.00 on the clock when the ball was in the air.
Per CBS Sports research, Darling is the ONLY player to make an NCAAT game-winner at the horn with zero made FGs in the game prior to hitting a buzzer-beater 🤯🔔🔔 pic.twitter.com/jmLlCegzrr
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) March 22, 2026