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It's obvious where Rick Pitino bested Bill Self in their titanic coaching battle

The Kansas Jayhawks fell to the St. John's Red Storm and it could not have come in a worse way
ByConnor Mardian|
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Mar 22, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts in the first half against the St. John's Red Storm during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Mar 22, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts in the first half against the St. John's Red Storm during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

For the fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament, the Kansas Jayhawks have been eliminated before making it to the second weekend, and Sunday evening’s 67-65 buzzer-beating loss at the hands of the No. 5 St. John’s Red Storm will go down as one of the most painful losses in recent memory for one main reason only. 

Kansas gave the game away. 

Turnovers galore put KU behind the eight ball

From the opening tipoff, the Jayhawks were loose with the ball. Finishing the first period with nine turnovers, including four in the first 4:18 of the game. 

While Rick Pitino’s defense was stifling KU’s buildup through all 94 feet, there lacked a real calmness, especially on inbounds. 

Somehow, though, thanks to a strong defensive backbone and a paltry 27 missed shots from St. John’s, Kansas entered the break down by just eight and a 34-26 scoreline. 

Halftime adjustments made little improvements in a heartbreaking loss

While a sluggish second half saw the Jayhawks fall behind as many as 14 points, Bill Self’s squad kept afloat in large part thanks to the energetic play of freshman guard Kohl Rosario and sophomore forward Flory Bidunga as the pair combined for 13 of the Jayhawks’ 39 points. 

However, no matter how hard Kansas fought back through certain points, the turnover bug continued to run rampant as the Jayhawks added an additional seven turnovers over the last 20 minutes, thanks to continuous miscommunications ranging from out of bounds all the way to the St. John’s paint. 

As the Kansas Jayhawks clawed themselves back to a tie game at 65-65 with 3.5 seconds to play, they knew they were one stop away from an overtime period where they would be thriving with momentum, KU likely felt confident with guard Dylan Darling – who was 0/4 from the field at that point –  having to go over half the court in such a limited time, yet Darling’s smooth drive to the bucket and effortless game-winning layup over Elmarko Jackson leaves one harrowing question. 

What could have changed if the Red Storm hadn’t taken a whopping 15 more shots than the Jayhawks?

Over the last four seasons, Kansas has compiled a 96-48 record but has not been assigned a seed line higher than fourth, the exact spot where they were listed heading into Sunday. Meanwhile, the Red Storm march into the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999, where they will face the No. 1 overall seed, the Duke Blue Devils, next Friday.

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