SAN DIEGO, California — As much as St. John’s coach Rick Pitino is aware of what reaching the Sweet 16 this year would mean for his program, that’s not where he’s focusing.
Pitino, in his third year leading the Red Storm, is locked in on what makes Kansas great and what it’ll take to defeat the Jayhawks in the men’s NCAA tournament. If St. John’s wins, making a Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999 will take care of itself. If it doesn’t, it’s not going to be because he didn’t try to get his team ready for what’s set to be a challenging matchup.
Advertisement
There’s the size Kansas basketball coach Bill Self’s roster has this season, as well as how much the Jayhawks (24-10) like to use pace. There’s how physical and tough-minded he’s known Self’s teams to be over the years, at Kansas, ahead of this round of 32 game Sunday in San Diego, California. Pitino also doesn’t think there’s been any team St. John’s (29-6) has faced this season that throws more lob dunks than KU.
RELATED: KU basketball players praise Darryn Peterson’s NCAA tournament debut
But when No. 5 seed St. John’s and No. 4 seed Kansas meet up in this East Region contest, it’ll also feature one of the potential top picks in the 2026 NBA Draft in KU freshman Darryn Peterson. As much as this game will be about the Red Storm and Jayhawks facing off, that it’s another opportunity to see Peterson healthy and playing again — after he’s dealt with health issues earlier this season — will surely add to the attention surrounding the game. And Pitino is well aware of Peterson’s talent.
“He gets to the foul line, he’s got great size, got a beautiful looking jump shot with great arc,” Pitino said Saturday about Peterson. “His size presents a problem. When he uses the pick and roll, he’ll reject it, and his size getting to the rim’s great. He’s a great scorer. He’s going to be a great NBA player because he has an NBA game, and we’ve got our work cut out for him, trying to stop him. But, they have a well-rounded team.”
Advertisement
Pitino also talked about how terrific Kansas senior Melvin Council Jr. is, with what he’s capable of on a fast break. Pitino highlighted KU sophomore Flory Bidunga, who’s the Big 12 Conference’s defensive player of the year. But how St. John’s guards Peterson will be among the top things to watch in this March Madness matchup, especially after Peterson dropped 28 points Friday in a win against No. 13 seed California Baptist.
Across 23 games this season, Peterson has averaged 20.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, while averaging more than an assist and a steal per contest. He’s shot 44.3% from the field, 38.2% from behind the arc and 82.8% from the free throw line. He stepped up to help KU avoid an upset in the round of 64, and it’ll be up to Pitino and the Red Storm to see if he will be the one celebrating a run to the Sweet 16 with the Jayhawks instead.
March 20, 2026; San Diego, CA; Kansas basketball guard Darryn Peterson (22) shoots against California Baptist guard Martel Williams (33) during a men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament game at Viejas Arena.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Rick Pitino’s opinion about Kansas basketball’s Darryn Peterson