After St. John’s dramatic buzzer-beater win over Kansas in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, head coach Rick Pitino is preparing for the Sweet Sixteen encounter against the Duke Blue Devils. Pitino is expecting a similar buzzer-beating finish against Duke as he recalled a previous encounter ending in a similar fashion.
In the press conference, Pitino recalled his encounter with Duke in 1992. Christian Laettner hit a buzzer-beater for Duke to eliminate Pitino’s Kentucky team in a heartbreaking loss. The play is often called “The Shot” and is considered one of the greatest moments in college basketball history.
During the press conference, Pitino said he is seeking revenge, hoping this time to be on the favorable end of a buzzer-beater when facing Duke.
“You win some, you lose some, and I’m hoping we can get Duke at the buzzer next to make up for that Christian Laettner shot,” Pitino said.
Rick Pitino Referenced TV Show Paradise To Hail Dylan Darling
In the same press conference, Rick Pitino revealed that he recently started watching the TV show Paradise, which unexpectedly referenced the famous Christian Laettner “The Shot” from 1992.
Pitino used that story to frame his praise of Dylan Darling, who, despite having a rough shooting night, missing all four of his field goals, came up with a buzzer-beater to win the game against Kansas.
“But I’ve been on winning at the buzzer and losing at the buzzer,” Pitino said. “And tonight, a player, I just can’t imagine a player today, in today’s world, with all the scrutiny, wanting the ball when he’s shooting terrible. I got on him because he was digging and left the three-point shooter alone. And we weren’t supposed to dig, we were supposed to stay on him at home.”
Pitino hails the courage of Darling to demand to create a play for him in the final possession. Instead of looking up the stats and denying him, Pitino showed confidence in him and Darling stood up on his trust.
“But for him to want the ball in that scenario, just speaks volumes of what he’s all about, confidence and going on the next play,” Pitino added. “So you win some, you lose some, and I’m hoping we can get Duke at the buzzer next to make up for that Christian Laettner shot.”
With the reference, Pitino is once again expecting a buzzer-beater finish but hopes to come out victorious.
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