Kansas and St. John’s will meet in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 in a game that already carries historical significance before tip-off.
The matchup places Kansas head coach Bill Self against St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino in just the second meeting between the two Hall of Fame coaches during their long careers. Despite decades of coaching and more than 2,300 combined games on the sidelines, the two have only faced each other once.
Now the fourth-seeded Kansas Jayhawks and fifth-seeded St. John’s Red Storm will meet with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line. The winner will move on to face the East Region’s top seed Duke or another advancing team in Washington, D.C.
The rare coaching duel adds an extra storyline to an already high-stakes NCAA Tournament matchup.
Bill Self and Rick Pitino Rare Coaching Matchup in Kansas vs St. John’s
Self has coached 1,126 college basketball games, while Pitino has coached 1,231. Yet the two coaches have only met once before this NCAA Tournament matchup.
Their only previous meeting came in November 2021 when Pitino coached Iona and Self led Kansas. The Jayhawks won that game by 13 points during a season that eventually ended with Kansas winning the national championship.
This time the stakes are significantly higher.
Pitino’s St. John’s team enters the matchup with a 29–6 record and the No. 5 seed in the East Region. Kansas arrives with a 24–10 record as the No. 4 seed.
Both coaches have built legendary careers. Self has led Kansas to multiple Final Four appearances and two national championships. Pitino also owns two national titles, though Louisville’s 2013 championship was later vacated by the NCAA.
Pitino praised Self ahead of the matchup, via Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde.
“They’re always tough. They’re tough-minded, tough physically. They play great defense. They play exciting offense,” Pitino said. “He’s always been one of the premier coaches. Ever since I’ve entered this business, he’s always been great each stop along the way.”
Self also spoke to Forde about Pitino’s coaching adaptability.
“From afar, I would say how consistently hard they play and how disruptive they are consistently,” Self said. “He’s certainly adjusted to his roster, I think, probably as well as anybody in the game.”
Kansas Jayhawks Survive First Round Scare Before Facing St. John’s
Kansas advanced to the Round of 32 after defeating California Baptist in the opening round, though the game was closer than expected.
The Lancers pushed the Jayhawks late and nearly produced an upset against the No. 4 seed. Kansas ultimately held on to advance, setting up the matchup with St. John’s.
Freshman guard Darryn Peterson led Kansas with 28 points in the first-round victory and remains a focal point of the Jayhawks’ offense.
Player prop projections reflect Peterson’s scoring impact. His projected scoring total for the St. John’s game sits at 23.5 points.
St. John’s presents a more difficult defensive challenge than California Baptist, and the Red Storm are expected to focus heavily on limiting Peterson’s scoring opportunities.
Kansas vs St. John’s Odds and Key Player Matchups
Sportsbooks list St. John’s as a slight favorite entering the Round of 32 matchup.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Red Storm are favored by 3.5 points.
Kansas enters the game with +140 odds on the moneyline, while St. John’s sits at -170. The projected total for the game is 144.5 points.
Several individual player matchups could influence the outcome.
For Kansas, Peterson leads the scoring projections at 23.5 points, followed by Flory Bidunga and Tre White at 11.5 points each.
St. John’s will rely heavily on forward Zuby Ejiofor, who has a projected scoring line of 16.5 points. Ejiofor previously played at Kansas before transferring to St. John’s.
His familiarity with the Jayhawks could add another layer to the matchup.
How to Watch Kansas vs St. John’s in the NCAA Tournament
The Round of 32 game between Kansas and St. John’s will take place Sunday afternoon.
The matchup will tip off at 4:15 p.m. Central Time at Viejas Arena.
Fans can watch the game on CBS.
Radio coverage will be available on WHB 810 in Kansas City and ESPN Wichita 92.3 FM.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Kansas vs St. John’s Round of 32 Matchup Makes History Before Tip-Off appeared first on Heavy Sports.