Throughout his coaching career, Rick Pitino has always been a coach capable of delivering a good quote. That’s just what he did on Thursday.
Pitino’s St. John’s team defeated Seton Hall 91-72 in Thursday’s Big East Tournament quarterfinal. That’s the good news for the Red Storm. The bad news? UConn awaits. the defending national champions and No. 2 ranked team in the country, also won its quarterfinal, defeating Xavier 87-60. And Pitino knows it’s going to take a lot to pull the upset over the Huskies.
Following the quarterfinal win, Pitino was asked what St. John’s needs to do to upset UConn. His response? “We’ve got to have about six of their players get COVID.”
Saint Johns vs UConn in the semis, Pitino knows it’s going to be a tall task lol
Me: What do you need to beat UConn tomorrow?
Pitino: “need 6 of their players to get covid” 🤣 pic.twitter.com/lrqDxabNpR
— Niki Lattarulo (@NikiLattarulo) March 14, 2024
While Pitino managed to keep a straight face and a stoic demeanor while he said it, he quickly smiled and began to chuckle afterward.
Based on this season’s head-to-head record, Pitino may be right. UConn was 2-0 against St. John’s during the regular season. The Red Storm, though, did play the Huskies tough. St. John’s led both games at halftime. In the first game, the Red Storm led 63-61 in the final minutes before UConn finished on an 8-2 run to win 69-65. The Red Storm also led the rematch at halftime but the Huskies controlled the second half and won 77-64.
We can only imagine what Pitino might say if the Johnnies can put two good halves together and upset the Huskies.
[Niki Lattarulo on Twitter/X]
