At the 7:22 mark of the game between Kansas and St. John's, it seemed like the Jayhawks were done for as they trailed by 13, and nothing seemed to be going right. While fans might have thought that, the guys on the court were still fighting to continue their season and did so valiantly.
It took seven minutes of the Jayhawks clawing and scratching their way back into the game to tie it at 65 with 13 seconds left on the clock. It felt like head coach Bill Self was going to pull off a vintage comeback to get his team past the first weekend in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022.
Self had his team foul every few seconds in order not to allow the Red Storm to get an easy basket and take the lead too late. While it wasn't executed perfectly, the Jayhawks did just that, leaving three seconds on the clock with no more fouls to give. All Kansas had to do was not allow St. John's to get an easy shot. It seems simple, right?
Wrong. Dylan Darling was inbounded the ball and went right to work, getting all the way to the basket, putting up a layup to win the game for the Red Storm at the buzzer. A camera angle was able to catch Self's reaction to the game-winning shot, and the long-time Kansas head coach was so frustrated, he actually kicked the scoreboard before walking away.
A worthy kicking of the scoreboard pic.twitter.com/FlPz0cYdc2
— Mike Vernon (@M_Vernon) March 22, 2026
Kansas' season ends in heartbreak yet again, but what else is new?
It was pure frustration from Self when he kicked that scoreboard, and can anyone really blame him? The Jayhawks did all the work to make the comeback and tie the game, only for it to be diminished in three lousy seconds.
It perfectly summed up the way the Jayhawks' season had gone to that point. Kansas had continually given fans hope with win streaks and huge upsets during the regular season. However, they also delivered crushing losses to teams they outmatched and were never really at full strength with the Darryn Peterson problems.
It was a season that fans will probably want to forget, but the real question is: was it Bill Self's final season? Self alluded to the possibility of it after the game, citing health as being a top reason in his decision to return.