March Madness: 3 things to know about Kansas, St. John's second-round opponent
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 20: Darryn Peterson #22 of the Kansas Jayhawks in action during the second half of the game against the California Baptist Lancers in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 20, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) Credit: Getty Images/Sean M. Haffey
SAN DIEGO — St. John’s will face Kansas at 5:15 p.m. Sunday in an NCAA Tournament East Regional second-round game at Viejas Arena for a spot in the Sweet 16.
The fifth-seeded Red Storm (29-6) and fourth-seeded Jayhawks (24-10) last played in the first event at Long Island’s UBS Arena, with Kansas posting a 20-point win in December 2021. The programs’ last tournament meeting was in the 1952 national title game, also won by Kansas.
Here are three things to know about the current Kansas team that St. John’s is about to clash with:
1. The Jayhawks didn’t finish strong
Kansas has gone 5-5 in its past 10 games. The Jayhawks advanced with a 68-60 win over 13th-seeded California Baptist in which they saw a 22-point lead with 8:54 left whittled to six with 1:20 to play. This final stretch includes losses to a mediocre Cincinnati team and a poor Arizona State team. Earlier in the season, Kansas beat powerhouses Arizona, Houston, Iowa State and Texas Tech.
2. Kansas might have the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft
Freshman phenom Darryn Peterson is in the running for the top selection. He is averaging 20.1 points in 28.7 minutes and is shooting 38.2% from three-point range. He’s also enigmatic, having missed 10 games, with the latest explanation given being “traumatic” full-body cramping. He also has grown unassertive in games with big leads such as Friday’s, when the Lancers staged a late-game comeback. Peterson went scoreless with only one field-goal attempt in the final five minutes.
3. Kansas is just as big, athletic and elite defensively as St. John’s
The Jayhawks rank eighth in the nation in defensive efficiency and second in effective defensive field goal percentage, according to Kenpom.com. They average 5.7 blocked shots, sixth best in the county. With 6-10 Flory Bidunga, 6-11 Bryson Tiller and 7-foot Paul Mbiya off the bench, Kansas’ front line is as daunting as the Red Storm’s.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
