yahoo - 3/27/2026 4:58:30 PM - GMT (+2 )
WASHINGTON, DC – Nearly all eyes will on the East Region's collection of Sweet 16 teams. It's got a little bit of everything. A blue-blood (Duke). A new-blood (UConn) and Hall of Fame coaches (Tom Izzo and Rick Pitino).
Friday night's showdown between No. 1 Duke and No. 5 St. John's tips off the fun at the Capital One Arena.
The Blue Devils, who haven't looked the part of the tournament's top overall seed in the first two rounds, may get a boost with the potential return of point guard Caleb Foster, who Jon Scheyer deemed a "game-time decision."
East is a Beast: When does a Sweet 16 resemble a Final Four? In the East Region of March Madness
Rick Pitino is back in Sweet 16: Examining St. John's coach's secret sauce to success
St. John's is coming off the high of knocking off another blue-blood, Kansas, with a buzzer-beating layup by Dylan Darling. The Red Storm's secret weapon may be Pitino, who is 12-1 in Sweet 16 games.
Tonight's winner advances to Sunday's Elite Eight where it will play the winner of Michigan State vs. UConn.
Here's what you need to know for tonight's Duke-St. John's showdown, including predictions and how to watch.
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Duke vs St John's live score| TEAMS | 1H | 2H | F |
| St John's | — | — | — |
| Duke | — | — | — |
- Time: 7:15 p.m. ET, Friday, March 27.
- The game is airing on CBS, streaming via Paramount+.
Odds provided by BetMGM.
- Blake Toppmeyer: Duke
- Paul Myerberg: St. John's
- Jordan Mendoza: Duke
- John Brice: Duke
- Matt Glenesk: St. John's
- Craig Meyer: Duke
- John Leuzzi: Duke
- Austin Curtright: Duke
- Ehsan Kassim: Duke
- Moneyline: Duke (-285); St. John's (+230)
- Spread: Duke (-6.5)
- Over/under total: 140.5
Could Duke have its point guard back for Friday's Sweet 16 game against St. John's?
Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer told reporters during a media availability Thursday that Caleb Foster is going to be a game-time decision for Friday's 7:10 p.m. ET tip-off against the 5th-seeded Red Storm.
"He's in a position where he's going to try to do that tomorrow night," Scheyer told reporters. "... He's going to give it everything he has to go tomorrow night."
Foster has been out since March 7 with a foot injury that he sustained in the final game of the regular season against North Carolina.
Rick Pitino NCAA Tournament history: When was Rick Pitino's last Sweet 16 appearance?Rick Pitino has been to 14 Sweet 16s. His last trip to the Sweet 16 prior to this season was in 2014-15 with Louisville.
What is Rick Pitino's record in Sweet 16 games?The St. John's coach is a remarkable 12-1 in the Sweet 16. His lone loss was in 2014 with Louisville... to Kentucky.
Cameron Boozer NBA draft stock, mock draft predictionsBoozer is widely projected as a top-3 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Here’s a look at where various mock drafts from major outlets have the Duke freshman going:
- USA TODAY (as of March 13):No. 3 overall to the Sacramento Kings
- ESPN (as of March 11):No. 3 overall to the Indiana Pacers
- CBS Sports (as of March 17):No. 3 overall to the Brooklyn Nets
Cameron Boozer and his twin brother, Cayden (also a freshman for Duke) are the sons of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer.
Before his 13-year career in the NBA, Carlos Boozer was a standout forward for the Blue Devils under Mike Krzyzewski from 1999-2002. A member of Duke's 2001 national championship team, Carlos Boozer finished his three-year career with the Blue Devils with more than 1,500 points scored and started 93 of the 101 games in which he appeared.
Rick Pitino history vs Duke: Christian Laettner shoton the eve of another game against Duke, the memory is still fresh for Pitino, who was the coach at Kentucky in 1992 when Christian Laettner hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer to beat Kentucky and lift Duke to the Final Four.
The flashback still seems to make him edgy. He said Sunday he was "so sick of commercials with Christian Laettner hitting that shot over and over and over."
He said friends recently convinced him to watch a show on Hulu called “Paradise” but then learned Laettner’s shot is referenced in that, too.
"That’s cruel," Pitino said.
He got his own buzzer-beater from Darling Sunday. Now it’s on to Duke in Washington, D.C.
“You win some, you lose some,” Pitino said. “And I'm hoping we can get Duke at the buzzer next to make up for that Christian Laettner shot.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Duke vs St John's live updates, news, prediction, how to watch Sweet 16
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