The Sweet 16 matchup between St. John’s Red Storm and Duke Blue Devils came down to the final play. The Red Storm were in control to begin the second half, even enjoying a double-digit lead before the Blue Devils stormed back to take command of the game.
In the final minute, there was still an opportunity for the Red Storm to push for a tie or a win. With only seconds remaining, St. John’s put the ball in the hands of Dylan Darling, who won it at the buzzer for St. John’s against the Kan14sas Jayhawks in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
However, this time the results weren’t the same.
Darling got a contested look from three-point range. The shot went up despite heavy defensive pressure. It missed, ending St. John’s comeback hopes as they lost the game 80-75.
In the post-game conference, St. John’s head coach Rick Pintino explained the final play while explaining their reason behind the loss.
“We were trying to set a high screen, we wanted to go down the lane and find the corners. We didn’t want that shot, but that’s okay. I never look at offense for a loss, we couldn’t guard them at the basket — that’s why we lost.”
Rick Pitino Answers Call For Retirement After St. John’s Sweet 16 Loss
Rick Pitino turns 74 this September and after every season over the last couple of years, one question has remained common. Pitino was once again asked about his potential retirement and the head coach has no reason to put a timeline on it.
“I think the lifestyle that I was leading was certainly, I shouldn’t complain about it. But I just missed it every single day I was out of it,” Pitino said Thursday. “So I realized there’s no reason to try and get out because I knew how much I missed it. I’d like to stay in as long as I can. As long as God willing is giving me good health, I’d like to stay in it as long as I can.”
While he might have missed out on making his eighth trip to the Final Four, he will have another shot next year. That or not, Pitino will go down as one of the best head coaches college basketball has seen. He’s close to 1,000 wins (914-317) and last won the championship with Louisville in 2013.
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