Few will remember what Dylan Darling did for the first 39 minutes and 56 seconds of St. John’s 67-65 win over Kansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. But they’ll sure remember the final four seconds. Darling beat the buzzer with an off-hand layup after an isolation drive to the bucket, sending the No. 5 seed Red Storm to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999.
It was a thrilling play made even more remarkable by the conversation which preceded it. Darling, who had been held scoreless all game, told Hall-of-Fame Red Storm coach Rick Pitino in the huddle that he wanted a play run for him.
Pitino called it “the funniest thing I’ve ever been involved with” while recounting the exchange with reporters after the game.
“I walk away and think, ‘wait a second, he hasn’t scored a bucket, and he wants to run a play for himself?'” Pitino said.
The play, dubbed “power,” called for a high back screen pick-and-roll after a side-inbounds pass that came with 3.9 seconds left. The screens never materialized as the other four Red Storm players spread the floor and provided some window dressing to distract Kansas as Darling geared up for a straight-line drive.
KU’s help defense fell asleep, drawn too far away from the basket to provide any help for KU’s Elmarko Jackson, who was left to guard Darling 1-on-1. Darling, who is left-handed, got to the cup and finished with his right hand just as time expired.
“Not only did he do it,” Pitino said. “He went with his right hand.”
Darling’s final line of two points, four assists and two steals on 1 of 5 shooting in 18 minutes doesn’t jump off the stat sheet. But that one make will go down in program history as the one that sent St. John’s into the second weekend of the Big Dance for the first time in over a quarter-century.
“Real proud of him because to want the ball when you haven’t made a shot is unbelievable,” Pitino said.
Darling’s account of the final huddle was a bit different. When asked what Pitino said prior to the shot, he joked “(he was ) yelling at me, per usual.”
Pitino referred to Darling by the nickname “bells” in his postgame press conference. If you are wondering where the moniker originated, here’s the explanation.
St. John’s will take on No. 1 seed Duke in the Sweet 16 round next weekend.