NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino had some advice for the NCAA after the Red Storm’s heartbreaking loss to Duke in the Sweet 16 on Friday night: let the losers go first.
Pitino opened his press conference with a point of order after he said his team was “hung over” for over half an hour following the narrow loss to Duke.
St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino talks to his team during the second half against Duke in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament in Washington on March 27, 2026. (Abbie Parr/AP)
“A suggestion to the NCAA when you have interviews on the court for Duke — for the winning team … is to have the losing team go first because you left us disappointed in the locker room while the other team is celebrating, rightfully so.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
He continued, “You should let the losing team go first and let the winning team have as much time as you want. Just a suggestion.”
Waiting on the sidelines added to a tough night for St. John’s.
Duke rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to beat No. 5 seed St. John’s out of the NCAA tournament with an 80-75 victory and advanced to the Elite Eight, where the Blue Devils will face UConn.
St. Johns head coach Rick Pitino reacts during the second half of a game against Kansas in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament in San Diego on March 22, 2026. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)
FORMER UNC BASKETBALL STAR KENNY SMITH REACTS TO HUBERT DAVIS FIRING, EXTINGUISHES INTEREST IN COACHING JOB
“It was our defense that broke down,” Pitino said during the press conference. . “It wasn’t so much not being in the right place. We just got bullied to the basket. They do that to a lot of teams. That’s why they’re the No. 1 ranked team in the country. We couldn’t defend the bully drives.”
Caleb Foster also returned from a broken foot to score 11 points in the second half, while Isaiah Evans added 25 points and Cameron Boozer totaled 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Duke guard Caleb Foster drives past St. John’s guard Dylan Darling during the second half of the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA college basketball tournament in Washington on March 27, 2026. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
Duke is 3-2 against UConn in the NCAA Tournament, but has lost the last two, including the 1999 title game.
