![\"St.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2026-03-22T225609Z_309790728_MT1USATODAY28566118_RTRMADP_3_NCAA-BASKETBALL-NCAA-TOURNAMENT-SECOND-RO.jpeg\" "\\"St.")
\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Mar 22, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; St. John\u2019s Red Storm forward Dillon Mitchell (1) reacts in the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks during a second round game of the men\u2019s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
No. 5 St. John\u2019s will play in its first Sweet 16 in an NCAA tournament since 1999 against No. 1 Duke, the top-ranked program in the country. Rick Pitino\u2019s Red Storm and Jon Scheyer\u2019s Blue Devils are scheduled to tip off a Friday night full of high-level action at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Johnnies are coming off a nail-biting win over No. 4 Kansas, with Dylan Darling\u2019s game-winning<\/a> layup being the deciding factor. His shot became a defining moment in their season, which has been full of highs and lows, including a 9-5 start before finishing 19-1 and winning consecutive regular-season and tournament titles.<\/p>\n Duke, meanwhile, pulled off a 13-point victory over TCU in the second round. However, the Blue Devils have begun to crack under pressure, as they failed to create enough separation from the ninth-seeded Horned Frogs during the first half.<\/p>\n This was a recurring theme for them, considering they trailed by 13 against an inferior opponent in Siena during the first round. That was a game most thought the Blue Devils could\u2019ve won by a large margin, but instead it came down to them taking a lead with 5:08 left on the clock. If this trend continues against the Red Storm, Duke might be on upset alert.<\/p>\n Jumping out to large leads is one thing St. John\u2019s has done well. Against Northern Iowa in the opening round, it took a 13-point lead and never looked back. The Red Storm did the same against Bill Self\u2019s Kansas, taking an early eight-point lead.<\/p>\n Persistent three-point shooting and aggressiveness in the paint have helped them accomplish this. Against the Jayhawks, Bryce Hopkins drilled six of his nine total long-range shots.\u00a0<\/p>\n This approach reignited sophomore guard Ian Jackson, who scored 10 points and made two three-pointers. But this method has come with its problems.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n For starters, Zuby Ejiofor, Joson Sanon, and Darling went a combined 1-for-13 from beyond the arc against the Jayhawks. As a whole, St. John\u2019s shot 31% (11-for-35) from three.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Johnnies have also struggled defensively in both games down the stretch. When facing freshman guard Darryn Peterson, the Red Storm played light defense, allowing the NBA prospect to cut their lead to eight points.<\/p>\n It became more grim from there, as free throws from Peterson made it a tie game. St. John\u2019s NCAA tournament run might have ended there if it weren\u2019t for Darling\u2019s miraculous final shot.<\/p>\n Their defense will need to be concise against Duke, which runs its offense through First Team All-American freshman Cameron Boozer. The son of former NBA star Carlos Boozer led the Blue Devils in scoring\u00a0in their previous games and is\u00a0averaging<\/a> 22.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game while shooting 56.3%.<\/p>\n Will Pitino be able to conjure up a defensive scheme to stop the younger Boozer? Or will he have to rely on Ejiofor leading the offense, as he\u2019s done this entire season?<\/p>\n