March Madness: Defense-oriented Dillon Mitchell draws a tough assignment in Kansas guard
Northern Iowa guard Ben Schwieger, center, shoots as St. John's forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) and forward Dillon Mitchell, right, defend during the first half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Friday, March 20, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Credit: AP/Mark J. Terrill
SAN DIEGO — Dillon Mitchell has been many things for St. John’s this season, but he always says that first and foremost, he is a defender.
That might be exactly what he’ll have to be on Sunday when the fifth-seeded Red Storm (29-6) face fourth-seeded Kansas (24-10) in an East Regional second-round game at Viejas Arena.
Kansas has a star in Darryn Peterson, a 6-5 freshman guard who very well may be the No. 1 pick in the next NBA Draft, and Mitchell often draws the toughest defensive assignment regardless of what position the opponent plays.
“He’s a great scorer — he’s going to be a great NBA player because he has an NBA game,” Red Storm coach Rick Pitino said Saturday. “We’ve got our work cut out trying to stop him.”
“It’s NBA moves, pro moves that he does,” Mitchell said. “He can score it at all three levels. And just [great] pace. He’s able to get guys in foul trouble, which is something we’ve all got to make sure we know he does.”
Peterson is averaging 20.1 points in 28.7 minutes per game. He is shooting 38.2% from three-point range and averaging 4.2 rebounds.
Mitchell is an exceptional athlete, and landing him as a transfer from Cincinnati has been a move that has paid more dividends than expected for St. John’s.
Pitino and his staff knew they were getting an elite defender who could become a tenacious rebounder. But when the team struggled early in the season with ballhandling and playmaking, Mitchell proved to be a solution. Since he was installed as a starter in January, the Red Storm are 20-1.
“It’s whatever it takes to win for me,” he said.
Asked about his defense, he replied, “That’s just where I’ve always had the most fun: just playing defense. It’s always been my calling card, something I’ve prided myself on.”
“His length and his athletic ability is incredible,” Pitino said. “He’s very long, very quick, very athletic. I’m not sure he’s 100% going to guard [Peterson]. There will be times where he’ll be on him, but we haven’t quite made up our mind yet with that matchup.”
St. John’s typically does a lot of defensive switching, which might mean every player on the floor could spend time covering Peterson. But there have been exceptions in which Mitchell gets one assignment and sticks with it, he said.
“I think the only one time we maybe did a little bit was the UConn game in the Big East Tournament [championship] game, where I kind of tried to stay on [Braylon] Mullins a little bit [and] chase him around,” Mitchell said. “That’s probably the only time we’ve done that. But just the way we play, switching and pressing, you end up having to guard everybody on the court.”
Ian Jackson also might be called on to defend Peterson because he is one of St. John’s most athletic players and has the size and speed to match up.
Asked if he would like a shot to match up with Peterson, Jackson said, “Absolutely. I’m a competitor, too. I feel like I’m a damn good player, too.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
