All articles tagged with #st johns
Inclement weather in Tuscaloosa pushed Game 2 of the NCAA Tuscaloosa Super Regional between Alabama and St. John’s from 2:00 p.m. CT to 3:00 p.m. CT; gates will open at 1:30 p.m., and the game will be on ESPN2 at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
Tounde Yessoufou, who had been pursuing an NBA path after Baylor, decides to return to college basketball and join St. John’s for his sophomore year, delaying his NBA dream as the draft process unfolds.
St. John’s, under Rick Pitino, reportedly secured Baylor wing Tounde Yessoufou by withdrawing his name from the 2026 NBA Draft and transferring to the Red Storm, with NIL figures pegged at upwards of $7 million. The move adds a high-scoring, rugged defender to a revamped roster that includes Quinn Ellis and Ian Jackson, as St. John’s pushes for another elite season and a potential Final Four run amid a wave of massive NIL deals in college basketball.
St. John’s is adding Baylor guard Tounde Yessoufou, who withdrew from the 2026 NBA draft and will transfer to Rick Pitino’s program, while also pursuing Iowa State guard Milan Momcilovic to bolster the backcourt. Yessoufou, projected as a potential first-round pick by some, comes off a 17.8 PPG season but shot just 29.3% from three, while Momcilovic, a 48.7% 3-point shooter and All-Big 12 Second Team honoree, could unlock space for Yessoufou and teammates as the Red Storm look to build on last season’s Sweet 16 run.
Donnie Freeman committed to St. John's over Kentucky as the transfer portal deadline looms, leaving UK to scramble for frontcourt help with Freeman and Sebastian Rancik off the board. Kentucky has two transfer commitments and several targets visiting (Gabe Dynes, Justin McBride), while Jerone Morton will visit Friday and a few other portal options (Allen Graves, Milan Mimcilovic) remain in play, though expensive. Braydon Hawthorne's future remains uncertain as the portal churn continues and the deadline approaches.
Former Syracuse forward Donnie Freeman committed to St. John’s via the NCAA Transfer Portal, entering his junior year after averaging 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds in 23 appearances (21 starts) for the Orange this season. He chose St. John’s over Kentucky, Alabama and UConn, joining a Red Storm program that just finished 30-7 and won the Big East regular season and tournament titles.
Kentucky finds itself at a high-stakes moment in the transfer portal as Donnie Freeman narrows his choices to UK, St. John’s, and Tennessee. UK was the only program to host Freeman recently and looked poised for a commitment, but momentum has shifted toward St. John’s, and landing Freeman may require an NIL package north of $3 million. Complicating the decision is Sebastian Rancik’s commitment to Florida State, leaving Mark Pope’s staff to decide whether to overpay for Freeman or pivot to scarcer portal options. Longstanding concerns about Kentucky’s front-office development and its NIL budget narrative add pressure and risk if Freeman underperforms or if UK is perceived as overpaying. In the meantime, UK’s backcourt looks solid, but the path to a starting-four via the portal remains murky, underscoring a broader era of leverage and drama in college basketball recruiting.
St. John’s appears to be gaining momentum to land Donnie Freeman after Rick Pitino offered a bigger deal than Kentucky, forcing the Wildcats to mount a last-minute counter while other targets slip away and the recruitment tightens the race.
CBS Sports Network’s March Madness 360 crew teased Jon Rothstein as he tried to tweet Rick Pitino’s amended contract news on live TV; Rothstein confirmed that Pitino’s deal makes him the second-highest paid coach in the Big East behind Dan Hurley, with on-air edits and backstage commentary adding a humorous, behind-the-scenes angle to the Scoop.
Friday's Sweet 16 delivered drama: Duke rallied to edge St. John’s 80-75 behind Caleb Foster’s emotional return; Michigan throttled Alabama 90-77 behind Yaxel Lendeborg to push its title bid forward; Iowa State fell 14 points to Tennessee, hampered by Joshua Jefferson’s injury; UConn extended its second-weekend win streak to 17, cementing its status as a title favorite as the Elite Eight slate is set.
Caleb Foster, back from foot surgery after 20 days, tallied 11 second-half points in 18 minutes to spark Duke’s 80-75 comeback win over St. John’s in the Sweet 16, sending the Blue Devils to a third straight Elite Eight. His remarkable rehab and timely scoring— including a late and-one—guided Duke from a 10-point hole and underscored Scheyer’s belief in his heart and readiness.
Caleb Foster returned from a broken foot to score 11 in the second half as No. 1 Duke rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat No. 5 St. John's 80-75 and reach the Elite Eight; Isaiah Evans scored 25 and Cameron Boozer 22 with 10 rebounds as Duke extended its win streak to 14 and will face UConn or Michigan State in the East Region final.
Duke survived St. John’s 80-75 in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 at Capital One Arena, with Caleb Foster returning from a broken foot to help spark the comeback in the second half. Isaiah Evans led Duke with 25 points, Cameron Boozer had 22 and 10 rebounds, and Duke extended its winning streak to 14 as they advance to the Elite Eight to face either UConn or Michigan State.
No. 1 Duke faces No. 10 St. John’s in a neutral-site NCAA postseason game at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, with a 7:10 PM ET tip-off on March 27, 2026. Duke (32-2) is favored over 28-6 St. John’s, and CBS carries the telecast with streaming options on Paramount+ and Fubo.
Duke is a 6.5-point favorite over St. John’s in the Sweet 16, a grind-it-out game at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. on March 27, 2026. The analysis leans toward a low-scoring contest, with the standout bet being St. John’s team total Under 67.5 (-125). Multiple SGPs and under-game total bets are also highlighted, as Duke’s interior defense and slower pace could neutralize St. John’s pressure and pace. Odds can shift before tip-off, but Duke appears to have the edge in this matchup.