Kansas' Season Ends in Heartbreaking Loss to St. John's

Jayhawks unable to overcome early deficit despite late rally

Mar. 23, 2026 at 12:39am

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The 2025-26 Kansas Jayhawks saw their season come to a close on Sunday with a heartbreaking loss to St. John's in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Despite a late rally, the Jayhawks were unable to overcome an early deficit and fell to the Red Storm in walk-off fashion.

Why it matters

The loss marks a disappointing end to what was a frustrating season for the Jayhawks, who were unable to live up to preseason expectations. The game highlighted several issues that plagued Kansas throughout the year, including a lack of offensive production outside of star guard Darryn Peterson and struggles to match the physicality of their opponent.

The details

St. John's outhustled and outmuscled Kansas in the paint, grabbing 9 offensive rebounds in the first half that led to easy second-chance points. The Jayhawks' supporting cast was highly ineffective, with Peterson being the only player creating offense. Kansas also struggled to adjust to St. John's full-court press, turning the ball over repeatedly in the early going.

  • The game took place on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, California.
  • Kansas' season has now come to a close following the loss.

The players

Darryn Peterson

A star guard for the Kansas Jayhawks who led the team in scoring with 21 points in the loss.

Zuby Ejiofor

A forward for the St. John's Red Storm who dominated the paint, grabbing 9 offensive rebounds in the first half.

Bill Self

The head coach of the Kansas Jayhawks, whose team came out flat and lacked energy in the loss.

Rick Pitino

The head coach of the St. John's Red Storm, who nearly had one of the biggest chokes of his career in the game.

Dylan Darling

The St. John's player who hit the game-winning layup to defeat Kansas in walk-off fashion.

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What’s next

The Jayhawks will now enter the offseason and look to regroup for the 2026-27 campaign, with questions surrounding the future of head coach Bill Self and the roster.

The takeaway

This loss highlighted the issues that plagued Kansas all season, from a lack of offensive production outside of their star player to struggles to match the physicality of their opponent. The Jayhawks will need to address these problems in the offseason if they hope to bounce back next year.