WASHINGTON — It took brilliance from Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans. It took Caleb Foster playing far better and longer than anyone could’ve expected less than three weeks after suffering a fracture in his right foot.
It took the overall top seed’s best to end St. John’s season.
In the Sweet 16 for the first time in 27 years, the fifth-seeded Johnnies performed every bit as well as they had for the last 10 weeks. They were tough, they were resilient, and they pushed the Blue Devils to the limit.
It just wasn’t quite enough to pull off what would’ve been a massive upset. And so this memorable season ended in devastating fashion, the Johnnies on the short end of an 80-75 result against No. 1 Duke and Boozer, the likely consensus National Player of the Year, at Capital One Arena.
“Our guys played with great heart. They made some defensive mistakes down the stretch, but that’s a credit to [Duke],” coach Rick Pitino said. “We had our moments in the game. We fought hard all season. We’re all very disappointed we don’t have a chance to win a national championship, but that’s a credit to Duke.”
St. John’s (30-7) seemed primed to shock the Blue Devils for a good portion of the evening, leading by 10 early in the second half. The Johnnies, red-hot from the 3-point line in making 13 triples, were ahead by two with 4:29 remaining.
The Blue Devils (35-2), however, had the answers late. They made 10 of their final 13 shots from the field, and shot a scorching 57.1 percent from the field in the second half. Evans’ 3-pointer with 3:54 left gave them the lead for good, and Boozer added a three-point play on the following possession to push the lead to four.
St. John’s Red Storm forward Zuby Ejiofor and his teammate St. John’s Red Storm guard Oziyah Sellers (L) react during the Sweet 16 loss on March 27, 2026. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
St. John’s Red Storm forward Bryce Hopkins (L) reacts after he is called for a foul in front of Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (R) in the first half. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
“You can’t have mistakes like that at this time of the year, and it cost us,” Dillon Mitchell said, referring to St. John’s lack of execution when the game was there to be won. “It cost us the game. It cost us our season.”
St. John’s did have a chance to get even in the final seconds, but Dylan Darling — who sent Kansas home at the buzzer Sunday — was well off on his potential game-tying 3.
St. John’s Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino and his team saw their season end in the Sweet 16. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Foster, 20 days removed from suffering a fractured bone in his right foot, scored 11 second-half points without a turnover, and handled the St. John’s pressure when the Blue Devils were struggling with it. Evans scored 25 and Boozer had 13 of his 22 after halftime.
The painful loss ended Ejiofor’s memorable three-year career in Queens, and capped St. John’s second straight 30-win season. Ejiofor led the way with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Bryce Hopkins had 15 points and seven rebounds and Mitchell chipped in 13. Ruben Prey added 12 off the bench for St. John’s.
“They gave us everything tonight,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “They were incredibly ready.”
It was an emotional postgame. Several Johnnies shed tears. Ejiofor couldn’t finish the press conference, he was so overcome by the finality of it all. This group had come so far after starting 9-5. They won the outright Big East regular-season crown for the second straight year and thumped rival Connecticut in the Big East Tournament final. They punched the program’s first ticket to the Sweet 16 since 1999 on Darling’s layup against Kansas. It was starting to feel like a team of destiny
St. John’s Red Storm forward Zuby Ejiofor looks to pass past the Duke Blue Devils defense in the first half during the NCAA East Regionals, Sweet Sixteen tournament at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC on March 27, 2026. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (C) looks to pass past a defending St. John’s Red Storm forward Bryce Hopkins (L) and teammate Dylan Darling (R) in the first half. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
“We believed we were going to win this game,” Pitino said.
Said Mitchell: “It comes fast. It goes fast. It’s tough.”
As long as Pitino returns, St. John’s will likely be back in this situation. A decent core featuring Prey, Darling and Joson Sanon is expected back. The Red Storm will be active in the transfer portal and reload.
But next year’s team will be very different. This group was so close to playing for a chance to reach the Final Four. It just couldn’t close.
“It’s tough,” Hopkins said. “The run that we made to the Sweet 16 is something that I’ll always remember. I’ll always remember this team and the run we made.”
