March Madness: 3 takeaways from St. John's win over Kansas
St. John's forward Bryce Hopkins celebrates after St. John's defeated Kansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday in San Diego. Credit: AP/Mark J. Terrill
SAN DIEGO — St. John’s earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time in 27 years on Sunday by downing Kansas, 67-65, in an East Regional second-round game at Viejas Arena. Dylan Darling was the hero, sinking a layup as time expired to snap a tie after the Red Storm (30-6) had blown all of a 14-point lead with eight minutes left.
Here are three takeaways:
1. The three-point shot might be a weapon
St. John’s has been a very inconsistent three-point shooting team this season, making only two in a game once and three in a game twice. They made 21 in the two wins at the subregional, 10 against Northern Iowa and 11 against Kansas. St. John’s next plays Duke at Capital One Arena, a building where they made 15 in a win over Georgetown.
2. St. John’s needs to rebound better
Kansas devoured the Red Storm’s 14-point lead and tied the score with 14.1 seconds because St. John’s couldn’t get defensive rebounds. The Jayhawks scored six points off offensive rebounds in the final 2:40 as they closed the gap.
3. Bryce Hopkins is a hot hand
The 6-7 forward scored all of his 18 points Sunday on a career-best six three-pointers. In five games since the regular season ended, he’s averaging 15.1 points and 7.4 rebounds. He is 11-for-18 on three-point attempts in those five wins.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
