St. John’s Red Storm coach Rick Pitino did not mince his words while expressing frustration in the midst of his team’s most recent postseason game, as he called his squad out.
On Sunday, March 22, Pitino and his Red Storm team defeated coach Bill Self’s Kansas Jayhawks 67-65 in the second round of the East Region of the 2026 national tournament on neutral grounds, the Viejas Arena in San Diego, California.
It was a back-and-forth game through and through, in which St. John’s did not shoot all that great. In a video uploaded by @CBSSportsCBB on X/Twitter, sports correspondent Lauren Shehadi asked Pitino how he plans on winning while his team is shooting poorly. Pitino said he will make sure that his players just keep shooting, though he took a dig at his players.
“ Well, we got wide-open shots. They don’t believe we can shoot, and we’re proving them right now. We’re wide open, and we can’t make a shot. But we’re gonna keep on shooting them until they go in, okay,” Pitino said.
As it stands, the Red Storm outlasted the Jayhawks by a mere two points, 67-65, as the Kansas-based program is now eliminated from the national postseason while St. John’s moves on. Pitino is in his third year of coaching the Red Storm, which is just a percentage in his historic, almost 52-year coaching career.
With his current roster, he is aiming to win his third national championship at this year’s Big Dance. After the win, the Red Storm now holds an overall record of 30-6 (18-2 Big East).
Dylan Darling Nails The Game-Winning Shot For The St. John’s Red Storm
In the most dramatic way possible, the St. John’s Red Storm won over the Kansas Jayhawks through a game-winning bucket by junior Dylan Darling.
In the final possession of the game, Darling drove all the way off an inbound pass to him from the half-court, where he was able to rise for a layup over Kansas guard Elmarko Jackson. This was Darling’s only point of the game, and he booked St. John’s ticket to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999.
Read More: Rick Pitino Comments on Darryn Peterson’s NBA Future Amid Question Mark on Fitness
Also Read: Fans Demand Justice For Rick Pitino’s St. John’s Star As AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Darius Acuff Jr. And More Named in AP All-American Teams
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