St. John’s Forward Prepares for Sixth Clash with Kansas

Dillon Mitchell stood in the St. John’s locker room at Viejas Arena on March 21, 2026. He is preparing for a familiar opponent.

Veteran background

The 6-foot-8 forward is a senior from Tampa, Florida. He played two seasons at Texas and one season at Cincinnati.

Mitchell has logged 99 minutes in five previous meetings with Kansas. He averages 8.2 points and 7.0 rebounds this season.

As a freshman at Texas, he was part of an Elite Eight team coached by interim Rodney Terry. Texas, a No. 2 seed, beat Colgate, Penn State and Xavier before falling to Miami.

Mitchell later faced the Jayhawks in Lawrence on Feb. 24, 2024, a contest Texas lost 86-67. He then transferred to Cincinnati and led the Bearcats with 10 points in a Jan. 11, 2025 game at Fifth Third Arena.

Familiarity with Kansas

Zuby Ejiofor offers direct Kansas experience. Ejiofor played as a freshman for KU in 2022-23 and logged 129 minutes for the Jayhawks.

St. John’s also leans on Mitchell’s veteran instincts. Coach Bill Self has noted Mitchell’s rare athleticism and the challenge of simulating it in practice.

Wing Bryce Hopkins described Mitchell as essential to the team’s daily performance. Hopkins highlighted Mitchell’s basketball IQ and unselfish play.

How the matchup shapes up

Tipoff for Mitchell’s sixth appearance against Kansas is set for 4:15 p.m. Central on Sunday at Viejas Arena. St. John’s aims for its first weekend run beyond the opening round in 27 years.

Kansas enters with guard Darryn Peterson coming off a 28-point performance in a first-round win over Cal Baptist. Big men Flory Bidunga and Bryson Tiller will factor into matchup plans.

Mitchell calls defense his calling card. He also expects Kansas to play with more pace this season and believes St. John’s can adjust.

Mitchell brings postseason experience to a transfer-heavy roster. Filmogaz.com will follow the matchup and provide updates.