NCAA men’s tournament Day 4: Dylan Darling hits layup at buzzer, St. John's beats Kansas in March Madness thriller
SAN DIEGO — Dylan Darling hit a driving layup as time expired for his only bucket of the game, and St. John’s advanced to its first Sweet 16 since 1999 with a 67-65 victory over Kansas in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.
Darling, the Johnnies' tenacious point guard, coolly won it after Kansas (24-11) erased a 58-45 deficit with 7 1/2 minutes to play, making a furious 20-7 run capped by Darryn Peterson's two free throws to tie it with 13.1 seconds left.
The Jayhawks had four fouls to give, and they used all four to wind the clock down to 3.9 seconds. That was plenty of time for Darling, the Idaho State transfer who had missed his four previous shots.
Darling got the ball up top and drove the lane for a shot that banked in as time expired. His teammates tackled him in front of the St. John's band in celebration.
Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins scored 18 points apiece for the fifth-seeded Red Storm (30-6), who have roared back to college basketball prominence in just three seasons under coach Rick Pitino.
St. John’s advanced to face No. 1 overall seed Duke in the East Region semifinals.
Here’s a roundup of some of Sunday’s early games:
Matt Painter was born in Fort Wayne, Ind., and he grew up in Muncie in the days when Bob Knight had the Hoosiers humming like a college basketball juggernaut. So, it makes sense Painter would have rooted for the crimson-and-cream as a youngster.
“I know that's sacrilegious now,” Painter said with a smile.
Well, Purdue fans have long forgiven him.
Painter has turned Purdue into a juggernaut of its own. He has the black-and-gold headed back to the Sweet 16 after a 79-69 win over Miami in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday that also gave Painter his 500th win at the school.
Fletcher Loyer scored 24 points, Trey Kaufman-Renn had 19 points and nine rebounds, and Purdue advances to the Sweet 16 for the third straight time and seventh in the last nine years. The Boilermakers will play No. 11 seed Texas on Thursday night in the West Region semifinals.
Tamin Lipsey knew he had to step up for Iowa State with All-America forward Joshua Jefferson sitting on the bench, his sprained left ankle still encased in a boot, as the Cyclones played Kentucky on Sunday for a spot in the Sweet 16.
Lipsey, who grew up in the shadows of the Iowa State campus in Ames, answered with the finest game of his four-year career.
The senior guard poured in a career-high 26 points, tied a career high with 10 assists, and led a suffocating defense that shut down the Wildcats in the second half, allowing the second-seeded Cyclones to pull away for an 82-63 victory in the NCAA Tournament.
Milan Momcilovic scored 20 points and Nate Heise, getting the start in Jefferson's place, added 12 to help the Cyclones (29-7) advance to a Midwest Region semifinal against No. 6 seed Tennessee on Friday night.
