Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA;St. John’s Red Storm forward Bryce Hopkins (23) reacts after losing to Duke Blue Devils during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena.
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Dylan Darling brought No. 5 St. John’s to the Sweet 16, but his missed three-point shot ended the Red Storm’s season in the Sweet 16 against No. 1 Duke, 80-75, on Friday at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Isiah Evans led Duke with 25 points, while All-American forward Cameron Boozer scored 22. Reigning Big East Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor led the Johnnies with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a game they once led by 10.
After drawing a foul, Ejiofor went to the line but missed his second attempt with 14 seconds remaining. With the final shot in his possession, Darling came up short from long range.
St. John’s reached the Sweet 16 after Darling made a miraculous game winning shot to push them past Kansas. Duke, meanwhile, was able to punch their ticket to the third round by outpacing TCU.
Dillon Mitchell scored the Red Storm’s first four points to match the Blue Devils. The senior forward stripped Boozer, taking it to the rim on a layup after Darling drilled a deep three pointer. This put an end to a near three-minute Johnnies scoring drought. Threes from Ian Jackson and Ruben Prey put St. John’s in front. Stiff defense kept the opposition off the board, as the Red Storm went on a 15-4 run.
Proficient rebounding and defense from Prey gave them multiple opportunities to extend their lead. Despite four missed shots, Bryce Hopkins and Mitchell connected on deep threes. This came as St. John’s gave up four points on defense.
Ejiofor drilled a deep three, cutting Duke’s lead down to three. Prey followed his teammates lead by hitting consecutive triples. The boost in shooting put the Johnnies ahead by one at halftime, forcing the Blue Devils to play from behind.
Forcing turnovers and scoring 10 straight points kept the Red Storm in front to start the second half. Duke ended its four-minute scoring drought by scoring three baskets, cutting the deficit down to three. But five points brought St. John’s lead back up to four. Both teams then traded triples to tie the game with 6:23 remaining.
After falling behind, Hopkins recovered the ball during a chaotic sequence to tie the game before Duke reclaimed the lead.
A three from Ejiofor brought his team back within five points. Hopkins scored on a layup, as they faced a three point deficit.
But St. John’s would come up short with the ball in its hands, ending the game in which they shot 41% (13-for-32) from three and made 45% of their attempts. Duke, meanwhile, made 54% of its attempts, including 36% from long range.
Another long offseason awaits St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino with seniors Ejiofor, Hopkins, Mitchell and Oziyah Sellers all graduating from the program in May.
Whether Pitino will return for a fourth season in Queens is another question looming over the Hall of Famer.
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