St. John's vs Kansas: Heavyweight Matchup

0:00On March 21st, St. John's Red Storm, the 5-seed with a 29-6 record, takes on the 4-seed Kansas J-Hawks, who stand at 24, and 10 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The game tips off Sunday March 22nd at 5.15pm at Vieja Serena in San Diego, California, airing live on CBS. The winner moves on to the Sweet 16 to face either top-seed Duke or 9-seed TCU. Kansas holds the edge in the all-time series, leading 9 games to 5, including a 95-75 win over St. John's back on December 3rd, 2021, no major injuries for either side heading in. Ken Palm sees a tied battle, predicting a St. John's victory at 73-71, giving the Red Storm a 56% chance to advance. A big subplot centers on Zubi Egeo 4, facing his old team for the first time since transferring from Kansas, where he saw just 5.1 minutes, per game as a freshman.

1:02Now a star center under Rick Patino, he'll go up against Kansas's flurry by Dunga, the big 12 defensive player of the year who averages 13, 0.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks. St. John's forward Dylan Mitchell also brings familiarity with a 2-3 record against the J-Hawks from his big 12 days. Meanwhile, Ozea Sellers returns to his home state of California, where he lit up the first half of their last game with 11 points. For Kansas, freshman Darren Peterson bounced back strong recently, dropping 28 in their prior win, while Wing Tray White needs to heat up, from the perimeter to unlock their back court. Patino and Bill Self, two Hall of Fame coaches, clash for just the second time, expect fireworks in this heavyweight matchup, with size and experience on the line as both squads chase a deeper tournament run.