WASHINGTON – Nearly all eyes will on the East Region’s collection of Sweet 16 teams. It’s got a little bit of everything. A blue-blood (Duke). A new-blood (UConn) and Hall of Fame coaches (Tom Izzo and Rick Pitino).
Friday night’s showdown between No. 1 Duke and No. 5 St. John’s tips off the fun at the Capital One Arena.
The Blue Devils, who haven’t looked the part of the tournament’s top overall seed in the first two rounds, got a boost with the return of point guard Caleb Foster, who returned to the lineup after a three-week absence. Foster has been out since March 7 following a foot injury against North Carolina.
St. John’s is coming off the high of knocking off another blue-blood, Kansas, with a buzzer-beating layup by Dylan Darling. The Red Storm’s secret weapon may be Pitino, who is 12-1 in Sweet 16 games.
Tonight’s winner advances to Sunday’s Elite Eight where it will play the winner of Michigan State vs. Connecticut.
Here’s what you need to know for tonight’s Duke-St. John’s showdown, including predictions and how to watch.
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Duke vs St John’s live score
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The Blue Devils trailed by as much as 10 in the second half before point guard Caleb Foster stepped up with seven consecutive points for Duke. Foster, who has been sidelined for three weeks before his return tonight, drove to the basket for three short-range shots and was fouled on another. He then made 1 of 2 free throws. A driving layup by Cameron Boozer cut the deficit to 57-54 with 11:46 left in the second half.
Ruben Prey has been an unlikely star for St. John’s as the Red Storm have taken control in the second half against Duke. Prey hit is fourth 3-pointer of the game as St. John’s has taken a 53-44 lead with 15:26 left. Zuby Ejiofor, the team’s leading scorer with 13 points, has been a big part of the 13-0 run that has the Blue Devils on their heels.
Duke got the first five points of the second half on a post up by Cameron Boozer and a transition 3-pointer by Isaiah Evans to go ahead by four. St. John’s quickly responded with the next eight points with its defense causing turnovers that have led to a pair of fast-break baskets. A dunk by Zuby Ejiofor capped the run and put the Red Storm ahead 48-44 with 17:06 left. Duke has called timeout to get settled.
Duke slowly gained control of its Sweet 16 game against St. John’s but the Red Storm had a late surge to take a 40-39 advantage at halftime. The Blue Devils have found success on drives to the basket and drawing fouls, and they pushed their lead to seven late in the first half. However, St. John’s stayed in the game and eventually took the lead with some hot shooting. The Red Storm only shoot 33.2% as a team from 3-point range, but they made 9 of their 18 attempts in the first half with six different players hitting shots. Isaiah Evans of Duke leads all scorers with 11 points. Dillon Mitchell and Ruben Prey have 9 points for St. John’s.
A lull midway through the first half was quickly dispatched with Duke getting into the lane consistently against the St. John’s defense. A three-point play by Cameron Boozer and another two free throws was part of a 12-2 run that pushed the Blue Devils ahead 35-28 with 3:26 left in the half. Another negative development for St. John’s: starting forward Bryce Hopkins is on the bench after his second foul, a late whistle after a shot by Nikolas Khamenia missed underneath the basket.
Duke found its footing after trialing by six with a highlight dunk by Dame Sarr completing a 6-0 run to tie the game. However, Dillon Mitchell hit a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to put St. John’s back in the lead at 26-23. Mitchell is leading all scorers with 9 points. Isaiah Evans has 8 points for the Blue Devils.
Duke’s size has been an issue for teams throughout the season, but the Blue Devils are struggling to deal with the athleticism of St. Johns. The Red Storm’s defensive pressure has forced numerous turnover and its aggressiveness for loose balls has seen them outhustle Duke. A 3-pointer by Bryce Hopkins midway through the first half has St. John’s up 23-17.
The Red Storm has taken a 19-5 lead with 11:51 left. They are on a 15-4 run, helped some hot shooting. St. John’s is 7-for-10 from the field, including 3 of 5 from the three-point line. Dillon Mitchell leads all scorers with 6 points. Duke has been bothered by the Red Storm press in the early going, causing some issues on offense after a strong start.
Duke is holding a slim 13-11 advantage in the early going. The Blue Devils started fast and had led by seven five minutes into the game. But a 3-pointer from Dylan Darling and a steal and basketball by Dillon Mitchell quickly shaved five points from the deficit. Caleb Foster has entered the game for Duke after being sidelined for three weeks with a broken foot. He quickly made an impact with an alley-pass to Patrick Ngongba for a dunk.
Balanced scoring has been the order of business for Duke with its first four baskets coming from different sources. The Blue Devils hold an 11-4 lead after a Cayden Boozer 3-point shot. Dillon Mitchell scored the first four points for St. John’s, the second basket coming on a nice inside pass from Zuby Ejiofor.
Some good news for the Blue Devils ahead of their Sweet 16 matchup. Starting guard Caleb Foster is expected to play after being sidelined since breaking a bone in his foot on March 7. Foster was with other Duke players warming up prior to tip-off and had returned to practice this week. Cayden Boozer has filled in well in his absence and remains in the starting lineup.
What time is St John’s vs Duke?
- Time: 7:15 p.m. ET, Friday, March 27.
What channel is St John’s vs Duke? How to watch, streaming info
- The game is airing on CBS, streaming via Paramount+.
Duke vs St. John’s prediction, odds
Odds provided by BetMGM.
∎ Anna Snyder, Fayetteville Observer: Duke 68, St. John’s 65
Expect a defensive battle in Washington, D.C. Duke’s defense and Cameron Boozer’s starpower are enough for the Blue Devils to hold off ZUby Ejiofor and the Red Storm.
- Blake Toppmeyer: Duke
- Paul Myerberg: St. John’s
- Jordan Mendoza: Duke
- John Brice: Duke
- Matt Glenesk: St. John’s
- Craig Meyer: Duke
- John Leuzzi: Duke
- Austin Curtright: Duke
- Ehsan Kassim: Duke
- Moneyline: Duke (-285); St. John’s (+230)
- Spread: Duke (-6.5)
- Over/under total: 140.5
Caleb Foster injury update: Will Duke guard today play vs St John’s
Could Duke have its point guard back for Friday’s Sweet 16 game against St. John’s?
Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer told reporters during a media availability Thursday that Caleb Foster is going to be a game-time decision for Friday’s 7:10 p.m. ET tip-off against the 5th-seeded Red Storm.
“He’s in a position where he’s going to try to do that tomorrow night,” Scheyer told reporters. “… He’s going to give it everything he has to go tomorrow night.”
Foster has been out since March 7 with a foot injury that he sustained in the final game of the regular season against North Carolina.
Rick Pitino NCAA Tournament history: When was Rick Pitino’s last Sweet 16 appearance?
Rick Pitino has been to 14 Sweet 16s. His last trip to the Sweet 16 prior to this season was in 2014-15 with Louisville.
What is Rick Pitino’s record in Sweet 16 games?
The St. John’s coach is a remarkable 12-1 in the Sweet 16. His lone loss was in 2014 with Louisville… to Kentucky.
Cameron Boozer NBA draft stock, mock draft predictions
Boozer is widely projected as a top-3 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Here’s a look at where various mock drafts from major outlets have the Duke freshman going:
Is Cameron Boozer related to Carlos Boozer?
Cameron Boozer and his twin brother, Cayden (also a freshman for Duke) are the sons of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer.
Before his 13-year career in the NBA, Carlos Boozer was a standout forward for the Blue Devils under Mike Krzyzewski from 1999-2002. A member of Duke’s 2001 national championship team, Carlos Boozer finished his three-year career with the Blue Devils with more than 1,500 points scored and started 93 of the 101 games in which he appeared.
Rick Pitino history vs Duke: Christian Laettner shot
on the eve of another game against Duke, the memory is still fresh for Pitino, who was the coach at Kentucky in 1992 when Christian Laettner hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer to beat Kentucky and lift Duke to the Final Four.
The flashback still seems to make him edgy. He said Sunday he was “so sick of commercials with Christian Laettner hitting that shot over and over and over.”
He said friends recently convinced him to watch a show on Hulu called “Paradise” but then learned Laettner’s shot is referenced in that, too.
“That’s cruel,” Pitino said.
He got his own buzzer-beater from Darling Sunday. Now it’s on to Duke in Washington, D.C.
“You win some, you lose some,” Pitino said. “And I’m hoping we can get Duke at the buzzer next to make up for that Christian Laettner shot.”
