SAN DIEGO
Bill Self was still processing the scene.
He went through the handshake line. Then he lingered on the court. The KU coach threw his arms up in frustration and shrugged.
Moments earlier, he’d scowled and kicked the scorer’s table.
Kansas basketball’s season was done. And it happened in 3.9 seconds.
Following a frantic comeback from 14 down to tie the score, KU had to defend one final St. John’s possession in regulation. From the sideline, Self called for KU to foul … and foul … and foul, bleeding the clock until only 3.9 seconds remained.
The Red Storm inbounded to Dylan Darling, who drove past Elmarko Jackson and made his first shot of the game — the most important one — as the buzzer sounded. Flory Bidunga was not able to contest as it left his hand.
Just like that, KU is going home.
No. 5 seed St. John’s outlasted No. 4 Kansas 67-65 on Sunday afternoon in Viejas Arena. The Jayhawks’ season ended short of the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight year, albeit all under vastly different circumstances.
In his last game as a Jayhawk, freshman phenom Darryn Peterson led KU with 21 points (5-for-15 shooting), adding four rebounds and four blocks. Senior guard Melvin Council added 15 points and nine rebounds. Bidunga scored 12 points with five rebounds, playing through foul trouble.
While St. John’s led for more than 37 minutes — largely thanks to a 9-2 run at the end of the first half — the Jayhawks fought back down the stretch. Trailing by 14 at the eight-minute mark and by nine with 4:19 to play, Kansas closed on a 12-3 run before the St. John’s game-winner.
That included a layup by Kohl Rosario at the 2:40 mark to pull within three points, a putback by Bidunga to pull within one at the 1:48 mark and a layup by Tre White with 1:01 to play.
The door was left open when St. John’s star and former Jayhawk Zuby Ejiofor missed a 3-pointer with 32 seconds left. Peterson made two clutch free throws with 13 seconds to play, tying the score.
Self subbed Jackson in for Rosario before the final sequence, later saying he aimed to put KU’s best defensive team on the floor.
Up next: The offseason begins for Kansas, which will have to replace multiple starters, including Peterson and White. St. John’s advances to face No. 1 seed Duke in Washington, D.C.
Here are four takeaways from Sunday’s game.
Another early exit for KU basketball
Since winning the title in 2021-22, Kansas has struggled in the postseason. The Jayhawks have failed to make it past the second round in the last four seasons — though each season has had its own story.
KU was a No. 1 seed in 2023, but Bill Self did not coach in games that tournament while recovering from a heart issue. In 2024, KU dealt with injuries to star players Kevin McCullar and Hunter Dickinson and was blitzed by Gonzaga in the second round.
As a No. 7 seed, worst of the Self era, KU lost to Arkansas in the first round last year. And this year’s team fell to a No. 5 seed under another legendary coach in Rick Pitino.
Head coach Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks speaks to his team during the first half against the St. John’s Red Storm in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena on March 22, 2026 in San Diego. Sean M. Haffey Getty Images
The Jayhawks have not been as successful as their previous teams in this very recent — and ever-changing — era of NIL and the transfer portal. And that has been especially true in Big 12 play. KU hasn’t won a league title since 2022.
The depth of NBA talent on this and other KU squads also has not matched the 2022 team, which started three future NBA wing players in Christian Braun, Ochai Agbaji and Jalen Wilson.
After the game, Self stated he was undecided if he’d return as KU coach, citing recent health issues.
KU basketball’s offense was a mess
It’s no secret the Jayhawks’ offense, especially in the half court, was a major issue all season.
The Red Storm’s defense and physicality made it look even worse.
KU’s first non-Darryn Peterson made field goal of the first half came with 10:19 to play, when Elmarko Jackson scored at the rim. And he’d just missed a dunk moments earlier.
The Jayhawks’ shot selection, as much as the shot distribution, was an issue. Melvin Council was 3-for-11 from the field in the first half, while Peterson had only taken six shots — including one in the final 13:13. Tre White, at halftime, had only taken one shot.
Melvin Council Jr. #14 of the Kansas Jayhawks drives to the basket against Dillon Mitchell #1 of the St. John’s Red Storm during the first half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena on March 22, 2026 in San Diego. Sean M. Haffey Getty Images
It’s hard for any team to win games when their best player isn’t taking the most shots. Some of that was down to Peterson, and other parts to how the offense was operating against St. John’s and its relentless inbounds pressure.
KU shot 34.5% from the field in the first half. The final stretch raised those percentages — KU finished shooting 44.4% and 35.7% from 3 — but the Jayhawks missed five free throws and committed 16 turnovers.
The offense let them down.
St. John’s was the more physical team
Over the weekend, Self talked about how important it was for KU’s bigs to be the aggressors and win 50-50 balls.
But disaster struck early when big man Flory Bidunga picked up two fouls in the span of about 10 seconds. The second one came on a careless swipe with 14:38 to play in the first half.
Flory Bidunga #40 of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts during the second half against the St. John’s Red Storm in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena on March 22, 2026 in San Diego. Sean M. Haffey Getty Images
In came reserve big man Paul Mbiya. He and freshman big Bryson Tiller not only struggled to defend St. John’s star Zuby Ejiofor without fouling, but consistently lost out on contested rebounds.
Mbiya had three fouls in the first half alone. Ejiofor had eight rebounds in the first half after averaging about 7.3 per game this year.
The physicality didn’t stop with the bigs. White looked uncomfortable with the ball in his hands, while Council kept trying to challenge the Red Storm at the rim, which seldom worked out.
Ejiofor finished with 18 points and nine rebounds.
KU wasn’t composed against pressure
It’s hard to remember the last time the Jayhawks looked this disheveled. From the start of the game, Kansas struggled to simply get the ball inbounds.
The Red Storm pressed Kansas in inbounding situations — a staple under Pitino — and it worked wonders for the No. 5 seed.
Kansas had at least three turnovers from inbounding the ball, a few-near turnovers and one timeout burned to avoid a five-second call.
While the Jayhawks have, at times, looked good in transition, they scored only seven points off turnovers and 10 fast-break points. St. John’s scored 18 points off turnovers alone.
The Red Storm, in fact, only shot 36.9% overall, but they attempted 15 more shots due to the turnovers and their offensive rebounding advantage (11-9).
Bryson Tiller #15 of the Kansas Jayhawks reaches for the ball against Oziyah Sellers #4 of the St. John’s Red Storm during the first half at Viejas Arena on March 22, 2026 in San Diego. Sean M. Haffey Getty Images
And while Kansas dared St. John’s to shoot from deep, a team that averaged only seven makes on the season hit 11 of their attempts, albeit on a low percentage (31.4%), which was part of how KU got back in the game.
On this night, the Jayhawks’ role players struggled to help Peterson. When Kohl Rosario hit a 3-pointer deep into the second half, he became just the second KU player, after Peterson, to make a 3 in the entire tournament.
This story was originally published March 22, 2026 at 7:26 PM.
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Shreyas Laddha
The Kansas City Star
Shreyas Laddha covers KU hoops and football for The Star. He’s a Georgia native and graduated from the University of Georgia.
