Rick Pitino had to be feeling it Friday night, after St. John’s rallied on the road to beat UConn for its 10th straight victory.
The Red Storm are now 21-3, sit atop the Big East with a 12-1 record, and life is good. So Pitino got a little cocky in his postgame press conference. Zach Braziller of The New York Post asked the 72-year-old head coach, “In November if I had told you you’d be 21-3 and 12-1 in the Big East, what would you have said?”
“I would’ve said how the f*** did we lose that one game?” Pitino fired back, smiling as everyone in the room got a big laugh.
“If I’d told you in November you’d be 12-1 in Big East play…” – @NYPost_Brazille
Rick Pitino: “I would’ve said how the f*** did we lose that one game?”
(🎥: @StorrsCentral) pic.twitter.com/wYskJ3no7a
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 8, 2025
Here’s where that comment gets even more interesting. The Red Storm’s lone loss in Big East play came Dec. 31 against Creighton in a one-point game on the road. Creighton is second in the Big East with a 10-2 record, riding an eight-game winning streak and is set to play St. John’s Feb. 16.
Pitino would have realized his comment would almost certainly end up as social media fuel for Creighton heading into that game. But because Pitino is one of the greatest coaches in the sport’s history, maybe he was just playing a little three-dimensional chess. What a great subliminal motivational hint to throw out for his own players: “How the f*** did we lose that one game?”
Or maybe that’s overthinking it, and Pitino just felt great after a huge comeback win on the road against UConn. Either way, that St. John’s-Creighton game just got more interesting.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.