Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Oklahoma State on February 18, 2026 , Win , 81, to, 69
Final
Men's Basketball
81
at Oklahoma State
69
Photo by: Kansas Athletics
Kansas to Face St. John’s in NCAA Tournament Round of 32 Sunday in San Diego
3/21/2026 9:46:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SAN DIEGO – No. 4 seed Kansas (24-10) will face No. 5 seed St. John's (29-6) in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32, Sunday, March 22, at Viejas Arena in San Diego, California. The contest will tip at 4:15 p.m. CT and will be televised on CBS.
Kansas and St. John's will meeting for the 15th time in men's basketball and KU holds a 9-5 series advantage. The most famous meeting was the second game in the series when Kansas defeated St. John's, 80-63, in the 1952 NCAA title game in Seattle.
The KU-St. John's contest pits two Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coaches. Kansas head coach Bill Self was inducted in the hall in 2017, while St. John's Rick Pitino was a class of 2013 inductee. Both coaches have won two NCAA Tournaments.
Kansas is coming off a 68-60 win against No. 13 seed California Baptist on March 20 in the round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament. St. John's won its seventh-straight game by defeating Northern Iowa, 79-53, in its opening round contest.
Kansas has played 14 teams in the 2026 NCAA Championship field and has posted a combined record of 11-7 against those opponents.
Kansas is averaging 75.4 points per game and has a plus-6.3 scoring margin. KU pulls down 38.9 rebounds per contest with a plus-2.1 rebound margin. KU averages 14.1 assists, 5.5 steals, and 5.7 blocked shots per contest. KU leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense at 38.7%, which is third nationally, and three-point field goal percentage defense at 30.5%, which is 28th nationally. KU also leads the Big 12 in blocked shots (5.7), which is sixth nationally.
An Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention, All-Big 12 Second Team and All-Freshman Team selection, freshman guard Darryn Peterson leads Kansas with a 20.1 scoring average after his 28 points in the NCAA Tournament opener against California Baptist (3/20). He has averaged 23.3 points in his last four outings, Peterson has 11 games of 20 or more points. He leads with 60 threes made in 23 games played this season. Peterson is on most every national player of the year watch list.
Senior guard Tre White is second on the team with seven double-doubles this season and he is second with 56 three-point field goals made. White is averaging 13.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest. White leads Kansas with 123 free throws made and his 87.2 free throw percentage ranks second in the Big 12.
The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, All-Big 12 First Team and All-Defensive Team selection, sophomore center Flory Bidunga is a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist (1 of 10) and a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year finalist (1 of 5). He scores 13.3 points per contest and leads KU with 9.1 rebounds per outing. Bidunga has pulled down 10 or more rebounds in two of his last three and three of his last five games. An Academic All-American candidate, Bidunga has a team-best 13 double-doubles for the season, which is second in the Big 12 and 23rd nationally. Bidunga leads the Big 12 with 88 blocked shots, which is fourth nationally. His 2.59 blocks per game are fifth nationally and leads the league and his 63.9 field goal percentage leads the Big 12 and is 11th nationally. At 13.0 ppg, 9.2 rpg, and 2.6 bpg, Bidunga is the only player in NCAA Division I to average more than 13.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots per game.
The Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, All-Newcomer Team and All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection, senior guard Melvin Council Jr. is averaging 12.6 points per contest. He leads Kansas with 173 assists and with 35 steals. Council is fifth in the Big 12, 40th nationally, with a 2.82 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Redshirt-freshman forward Bryson Tiller averages 8.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest. Tiller is second on the team with 45 blocked shots and has started 30 games this season for KU.
Redshirt-sophomore guard Elmarko Jackson (4.8 ppg, 24 steals), redshirt-sophomore guard Jamari McDowell (3.4 ppg, 30 threes), freshman Kohl Rosario (3.3, 17 threes), and senior guard Jayden Dawson (2.1 ppg, 12 threes) round out the KU regulars.
UP NEXT
Should Kansas win its round of 32 game against St. John's, KU would advance to the Sweet 16 and play the winner of the No. 1 Duke versus No. 9 TCU on Friday, March 27 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Historically, Kansas has advanced to 31 Sweet 16 games with its most recent in 2022 en route to the NCAA National Championship.
Kansas and St. John's will meeting for the 15th time in men's basketball and KU holds a 9-5 series advantage. The most famous meeting was the second game in the series when Kansas defeated St. John's, 80-63, in the 1952 NCAA title game in Seattle.
The KU-St. John's contest pits two Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coaches. Kansas head coach Bill Self was inducted in the hall in 2017, while St. John's Rick Pitino was a class of 2013 inductee. Both coaches have won two NCAA Tournaments.
Kansas is coming off a 68-60 win against No. 13 seed California Baptist on March 20 in the round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament. St. John's won its seventh-straight game by defeating Northern Iowa, 79-53, in its opening round contest.
Kansas has played 14 teams in the 2026 NCAA Championship field and has posted a combined record of 11-7 against those opponents.
Kansas is averaging 75.4 points per game and has a plus-6.3 scoring margin. KU pulls down 38.9 rebounds per contest with a plus-2.1 rebound margin. KU averages 14.1 assists, 5.5 steals, and 5.7 blocked shots per contest. KU leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense at 38.7%, which is third nationally, and three-point field goal percentage defense at 30.5%, which is 28th nationally. KU also leads the Big 12 in blocked shots (5.7), which is sixth nationally.
An Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention, All-Big 12 Second Team and All-Freshman Team selection, freshman guard Darryn Peterson leads Kansas with a 20.1 scoring average after his 28 points in the NCAA Tournament opener against California Baptist (3/20). He has averaged 23.3 points in his last four outings, Peterson has 11 games of 20 or more points. He leads with 60 threes made in 23 games played this season. Peterson is on most every national player of the year watch list.
Senior guard Tre White is second on the team with seven double-doubles this season and he is second with 56 three-point field goals made. White is averaging 13.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest. White leads Kansas with 123 free throws made and his 87.2 free throw percentage ranks second in the Big 12.
The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, All-Big 12 First Team and All-Defensive Team selection, sophomore center Flory Bidunga is a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist (1 of 10) and a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year finalist (1 of 5). He scores 13.3 points per contest and leads KU with 9.1 rebounds per outing. Bidunga has pulled down 10 or more rebounds in two of his last three and three of his last five games. An Academic All-American candidate, Bidunga has a team-best 13 double-doubles for the season, which is second in the Big 12 and 23rd nationally. Bidunga leads the Big 12 with 88 blocked shots, which is fourth nationally. His 2.59 blocks per game are fifth nationally and leads the league and his 63.9 field goal percentage leads the Big 12 and is 11th nationally. At 13.0 ppg, 9.2 rpg, and 2.6 bpg, Bidunga is the only player in NCAA Division I to average more than 13.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots per game.
The Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, All-Newcomer Team and All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection, senior guard Melvin Council Jr. is averaging 12.6 points per contest. He leads Kansas with 173 assists and with 35 steals. Council is fifth in the Big 12, 40th nationally, with a 2.82 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Redshirt-freshman forward Bryson Tiller averages 8.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest. Tiller is second on the team with 45 blocked shots and has started 30 games this season for KU.
Redshirt-sophomore guard Elmarko Jackson (4.8 ppg, 24 steals), redshirt-sophomore guard Jamari McDowell (3.4 ppg, 30 threes), freshman Kohl Rosario (3.3, 17 threes), and senior guard Jayden Dawson (2.1 ppg, 12 threes) round out the KU regulars.
UP NEXT
Should Kansas win its round of 32 game against St. John's, KU would advance to the Sweet 16 and play the winner of the No. 1 Duke versus No. 9 TCU on Friday, March 27 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Historically, Kansas has advanced to 31 Sweet 16 games with its most recent in 2022 en route to the NCAA National Championship.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
Men's Basketball Postgame Press Conference vs. Cal Baptist
Saturday, March 21
Men's Basketball Highlights vs. Cal Baptist
Friday, March 20
Men's Basketball NCAA Tournament First Round Media Availability
Friday, March 20
Selection Sunday Media Availability
Sunday, March 15