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St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino offered some advice to 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 news conference with a point of order after saying his team was left “on hold” for more than a half-hour following its narrow loss to Duke.
St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino talks with 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)
“One suggestion for the NCAA, when you have on-field interviews for Duke – for the winning team… is to have the losing team start first because you left us disappointed in the locker room while the other team is celebrating, rightfully so.”
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He continued: “You should let the losing team go first and give the winning team as much time as you want. Just a suggestion.”
The wait on the sidelines added to a tough night for St. John’s.
Duke rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to eliminate No. 5 seed St. John’s from the NCAA tournament with an 80-75 victory and advance to the Elite Eight, where the Blue Devils will face UConn.
St. John’s 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)
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“It was our defense that collapsed,” Pitino said during the press conference. . “It wasn’t so much about not being in the right spot. We just got harassed to the basket. They do that to a lot of teams. That’s why they’re the number one team in the country. We couldn’t defend the bullies’ attacks.”
Caleb Foster also returned from a broken foot, scoring 11 points in the second half, while Isaiah Evans added 25 points and Cameron Boozer had 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)
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Duke is 3-2 against UConn in the NCAA tournament but has lost the last two, including the 1999 title game.
