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St. John’s is Sweet Once More!

BQE Admin on March 24, 2026

Johnnies beat Kansas, await Duke in first Sweet 16 appearance since 1999

Dylan Darling is swarmed by teammates after his buzzer-beating layup as St. John’s advanced past the second round for the first time in over two decades! Photos courtesy St. John’s basketball.

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

For the first time since 1999, the St. John’s Red Storm are dancing beyond the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. A dominant showing against the #12 University of Northern Iowa Panthers and a gritty win over the #4 Kansas Jayhawks put the Johnnies into the Sweet 16, where they take on top overall seeded Duke.

Storm Watch in San Diego

The Red Storm opened with a 13-0 lead in their opening round matchup in San Diego. While the UNI Panthers boasted one of the best defenses in D1 hoops, they were no match for a fast paced and physical St. John’s squad.

The Johnnies led by as much as 21 in the opening half, going into the break up 47-28. To nobody’s surprise, leading the way was Zuby Ejiofor with 11 points, 5 rebounds, and a pair of blocks. The St. John’s senior was left off all three All-American but showed off on the national stage, dominating on both ends of the floor.

The Red Storm stifled the Panthers’ offense, forcing Northern Iowa to shoot a measly 39% from the floor and 21% from three, well below their season averages. UNI only got two points off the bench, though Trey Campbell and Leon Bond III both had solid games as starters.

St. John’s pulled away in the second frame, going on to win 79-53. Ejiofor tallied a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards to go with his 4 blocks. Bryce Hopkins added 13 points and Dillon Mitchell pulled down another 9 rebounds.

In the other matchup in San Diego, #4 Kansas took on the #13 Cal Baptist Lancers. It was a fairly comfortable matchup for Bill Self’s squad, holding their opponents to just 18 first half points before fending off a decent second half comeback attempt. 

Presumptive #1 overall NBA draft pick Darryn Peterson scored 21 in his NCAAT debut. Dominique Daniels Jr. led the Lancers with 25, but it wasn’t enough for Cal Baptist as they fell 68-60.

Zuby Ejiofor recorded a double-double in the tournament opener against Northern Iowa.

For Whom the Bells Toll

The matchup between Rick Pitino and Bill Self marked the second straight year Hall-of-Fame coaches clashed in the second round. In the 2025 tournament, John Calipari’s Arkansas took down Kansas in the opening round before downing the Red Storm in round two.

This year both coaches were safe from the Razorbacks, who advanced to the Sweet 16 in the West region where they take on #1 Arizona. Still, Kansas vs St. John’s marked the third time coaches with 2+ national titles clashed in March Madness.

The Johnnies shot early and often, showing confidence even when the three pointers stopped falling. They took an early advantage but weren’t able to build a gap against Kansas in the first half. St. John’s took 23 three pointers in the opening half, setting a record for a team coached by Rick Pitino. They only hit seven, with three of those shots coming in the opening three minutes of action.

“They don’t believe we can shoot and we’re proving them right,” said Pitino during an in-game interview. “But we’re gonna keep on shooting them until they go in.”

The shooting got more conservative in the second half, as the Red Storm went 4/12 from downtown. They were able to coast into the back end of the half up 14 points, their largest lead of the night, but Kansas began to chip away at the deficit.

Up just one point, Bryce Hopkins came up clutch with the biggest three of the night. The senior transfer didn’t hesitate as he caught and shot from the elbow to put the Johnnies up by four with 1:30 left to play.

Bryce Hopkins connected on a few clutch threes against Kansas, including one to put the Red Storm up by four points with under 2 minutes to play.

The Jayhawks stayed close, scoring to bring the lead down to two before Peterson drew a shooting foul to tie the game from the free throw line. With a few fouls to give, Kansas intentionally fouled to limit the Red Storm shot clock to just over three seconds for the final possession.

Three seconds was all that was needed as Dylan Darling drove into the lane for a quick layup as time expired. The Red Storm piled onto the junior guard, celebrating his only made field goal of the night.

The 67-65 win marks the first trip to the Sweet 16 this century for St. John’s, setting up some thrilling matchups in Washington DC this weekend.

Darling’s game-winner was his first made field goal of the game, a testament to the junior guard’s confidence.

Johnny vs Goliath

Now the biggest test of the year awaits Pitino and the Red Storm. The Duke Blue Devils struggled against #16 Siena in the opening round, but they looked much more like the tournament’s top seed as they thrashed TCU in the round of 32. Still, they wouldn’t be the first #1 seed to crash out of the tournament, as the defending champion Florida Gators fell to #9 Iowa in the second round, the biggest upset of the tournament so far.

It will be another test against future NBA talent as Duke features the Boozer brothers, Cameron and Cayden. The freshman fraternal twins will look to carry Duke to a 6th ever program title, and interestingly enough the Blue Devils defeated the Red Storm at some point in each of their previous title-winning campaigns.

The other Sweet 16 matchup in the East Region features another Hall of Fame coach in Tom Izzo. His #3 Michigan State Spartans will take on a future Hall of Famer in Dan Hurley and the #2 UConn Huskies in what’s sure to be an incredible matchup in DC.

Should the Johnnies and Huskies both advance, it would set up a remarkable BIG EAST rematch on one of the biggest possible stages.

Ejiofor was dominant in his first two games. How far can the Red Storm captain carry this St. John’s squad?

Tip-off between the Red Storm and Blue Devils will be at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC on Friday, March 27 at 7:10pm. The Huskies and Spartans will play afterwards at 9:45pm. The winners will clash in the Elite Eight on Sunday, March 29.

Streak Hits 13 as Red Storm Take Over BIG EAST Lead

BQE Admin on February 24, 2026

Regular Season nears finale as Johnnies beat Marquette and Creighton, rise to #15

It was a Red Storm rampage from start to finish on Saturday afternoon. Their win over Creighton was the largest in BIG EAST play at Madison Square Garden since 1992! (Photos by Noah Zimmerman)

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

The Red Storm surged into first place outright in the BIG EAST last week following a win on the road against the Marquette Golden Eagles and a UConn loss to Creighton. St. John’s would go on to thank Creighton with a blowout win over the weekend, downing the Bluejays 81 to 52.

It wasn’t pretty but the Red Storm did enough to dispatch the bottom-dwelling Golden Eagles. Despite blowing a sizable lead around halftime, St. John’s were able to lock in late to claim a 76-70 win.

Bryce Hopkins led St. John’s scorers with 23 points, also pulling down ten boards for a double-double. He didn’t get much help as only Oziyah Sellers and Zuby Ejiofor scored in double figures. Dillon Mitchell and Dylan Darling were both held scoreless, though they led the team in assists with four and five, respectively.

On Saturday afternoon, the Red Storm looked for a much more decisive result. They opened play against Creighton with an 8-0 run, holding a ten-point advantage for most of the opening frame.

It was Johnnies Day at the Garden, and fans were in high spirits with their red shirts and signs. The Red Storm fans were invigorated by a Darling steal and Ejiofor dunk, re-establishing a double-digit lead after a pair of Fedor Zugic threes cut the lead to six.

By the end of the first half, St. John’s were firmly in control, 42-27. In the second frame, the Red Storm began to really pull away.

It didn’t take long until the lead was up to 30 points, growing as large as 33 in the final minutes of action. There was no path back into the game for the Bluejays as St. John’s finished off their biggest conference win at MSG since 1992, when they took down the #6 UConn Huskies.

A pair of 15-point performances by Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins led the way for St. John’s starters but it was another stellar game from Dylan Darling to lead the way for the Red Storm. Darling scored 17 points on 5/7 shooting, also picking up a game-high three steals.

Bryce Hopkins has turned his season around, especially in the last few games since a heated exchange in Providence.

For Creighton, no Bluejay scored more than Zugic’s 9 (3/5 from three). They were handily out-assisted and out-rebounded by St. John’s and matched their season worst with 18 turnovers.

With the win, St. John’s improved to 15-1 in the BIG EAST and 22-5 overall. On Monday they continued to ascend the AP College Basketball rankings, moving to #15. It’s their highest mark since they were ranked #14 in November.

Dylan Darling has been spectacular during the Red Storm winning streak. He filled the bucket off the bench against the Bluejays.

Wednesday night’s battle in Connecticut could prove to be a decisive one with just three games remaining in regular season play. The Red Storm have all but clinched a top seed and bye for the start of the BIG EAST tournament, but there’s still work to be done to see out a phenomenal finish to the season.

On Saturday night the Red Storm will take on Villanova at Madison Square Garden, their final big matchup of the season. The Wildcats have been on the cusp of the Top-25 for a good portion of the season, also playing the Johnnies well despite an 86-79 loss in Pennsylvania earlier this year.

The final home game of the regular season is next Tuesday, March 3. St. John’s and the Georgetown Hoyas will start at 7pm. The season finale will tip-off across the Hudson River when the Red Storm visit the Seton Hall Pirates on Friday, March 6.

No Love Between St. John’s & Providence on Valentine’s Day

BQE Admin on February 18, 2026

Heated brawl breaks out in Providence as Red Storm win 11th straight

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

It was a heated affair on Valentine’s Day as the St. John’s Red Storm looked to avenge their lone BIG EAST loss of the season. This time in enemy territory, the Johnnies looked to fend off a physical Friars team that handed them a 77-71 loss at Madison Square Garden to kick off 2026.

The arena was a powder keg as Bryce Hopkins made his return to Rhode Island after transferring to St. John’s for his final year of eligibility. It felt like something was destined to happen after the first matchup between the Johnnies and Friars, and the home crowd was on their toes waiting for that spark.

That spark came five minutes into the second half of a tight ballgame, as the former Friar was fouled hard from behind. The aggressor, Providence’s Duncan Powell, was quickly swarmed by red shirts as he and Dillon Mitchell took swings at each other.

Six total players were ejected from the game. For the Friars, Powell and graduate guard Jaylin Sellers were thrown out, with the former handed a three-game suspension for “combative actions.” 

St. John’s went without Mitchell for the majority of the second half, ejected for attempting to punch Powell. Ruben Prey, Sadiku Ibine Ayo and Kelvin Odih were tossed for leaving the St. John’s bench during the scrap.

Still, for the visitors, the grit needed to win came between the lines, rather than in extra-curricular activities.

“We didn’t initiate anything,” commented Head Coach Rick Pitino after the game. “We talked about toughness as not turning the ball over, creating steals, getting offensive rebounds. That’s what we believe toughness is, and that’s all we talked about throughout the entire time.”

Pitino, who previously coached at Providence and led the Friars to the Final Four in 1987, was disappointed in the home crowd, who seemed bloodthirsty.

“I think the crowd lost objectivity of what they’re here for,” he said. “If they’re just here to poke fun at Bryce Hopkins and not get a win for the Friars, that’s not the Friars I remember in ‘87.”

Play resumed after a 20-minute delay, and the Red Storm quickly asserted themselves. Free throws and a quick bucket. They would keep their foot on the gas and see out the win, 79-69. It was the 11th consecutive victory for St. John’s dating back to their loss to Providence. Compared to the Johnnies, Providence has lost all but three contests since their upset win at MSG.

“I feel like we responded in the best way possible,” said Zuby Ejiofor, who finished with 14 points to lead St. John’s starters. “We were without [four] of our players and you know, Dylan [Darling] does what Dylan has been pretty much doing for a big stretch now. So I’m really proud of the guys, knowing how we competed for 40 minutes.”

Darling finished with a game-best 23 points, also picking up eight rebounds and three steals. 17 of those points came in the second half, where he was instrumental in the visitors pulling away and maintaining a lead down the stretch.

Darling’s play has been instrumental during the current winning streak and it’s clear St. John’s will need their dynamic guard performing come postseason in both the BIG EAST and NCAA tournament.

“Somebody needed to step up, I just try to bring energy,” said Darling about his performance. “We knew we needed to focus on every small detail to win the game, and that was really just our focus.”

On Monday Darling was named Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Player of the Week, following Ejiofor who won the honor the week before. Darling also picked up his first appearance on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.

The Johnnies are back at MSG this weekend to finish the season series with the Creighton Bluejays. Tip-off is set for noon on Saturday the 21. 

After this weekend, only a pair of home games remain in the Red Storm schedule. On February 28 they welcome Villanova to Madison Square Garden, before hosting Georgetown in their penultimate regular season matchup on March 3.

Next week the Red Storm head back to New England, this time to play the #5 UConn Huskies in Hartford, CT. It’s sure to be another thrilling contest with the St. John’s streak still going strong and UConn looking to answer following their defeat earlier this month.

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