Kansas Stunned By Buzzer-Beater In Round of 32 Loss to St. John’s: Three Takeaways

Kansas Stunned By Buzzer-Beater In Round of 32 Loss to St. John’s: Three Takeaways

Kansas’ season ended in familiar frustration Sunday, undone by mistakes it never fully cleaned up all year. Despite rallying late, the No. 4 seed Jayhawks fell 67-65 to St. John’s on a buzzer-beating layup, exiting the NCAA Tournament before the second weekend for the fourth straight year.

Here are three takeaways from the loss:

Turnovers set the tone

Kansas never found offensive rhythm, and it started with ball security. The Jayhawks committed 16 turnovers, many of them live-ball giveaways that fueled St. John’s offense.

Those mistakes were especially costly early. Kansas had nine turnovers in the first half, leading directly to 12 points for the Red Storm despite their poor shooting percentage. Even routine situations, including multiple inbounding issues, turned into empty possessions or easy opportunities the other way.

Against a team that thrives on pressure, Kansas never fully adjusted.

Three-point defense falters at worst time

St. John’s entered the game as a modest 3-point shooting team, averaging seven makes per game. On Sunday, it nearly doubled that output.

The Red Storm knocked down 11 3-pointers on a season-high 35 attempts, with Bryce Hopkins leading the way by stretching the defense repeatedly. Several of those looks came after broken possessions or second chances, compounding Kansas’ defensive lapses.

Even when Kansas tightened up late, the earlier damage created a cushion that proved decisive.

Late fight, but not enough

To its credit, Kansas didn’t fold. Trailing by 14 in the second half, the Jayhawks chipped away behind Darryn Peterson, who finished with 21 points, and key plays from Melvin Council Jr. and Flory Bidunga. A 3-point play by Peterson and a series of stops turned a double-digit deficit into a one-possession game.

Kansas eventually tied it at 65 on Peterson’s free throws with under 30 seconds left, completing the comeback effort.

But the final possession told the story of the season. Kansas couldn’t get one last stop, as Dylan Darling sliced through the defense for the game-winner at the buzzer.

The rally showed resilience. The result reinforced a harsh reality — the margin for error was too thin all year, and it finally ran out.

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