St. John’s University men’s basketball team has finally been waiting a year to revenge itself, which they accomplished on Saturday. Red Storm won their first Big East championship since 2000 when they beat Creighton 82-66. Now, St. John’s has become the second-to-last team revealed in the 68-team NCAA Tournament bracket. Rick Pitino spoke to Pat McAfee about the win over the weekend and how there is a “Jimmy Fallon difference” in the Red Storm win.
“At Kentucky, we won two championship games and we were never invited onto the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Here, we win the Big East and we’re on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” Pitino told McAfee.
“If you win in New York everything is exaggerated and if you lose everything is exaggerated..So you better win,” Pitino added.
“If you win in New York everything is exaggerated and if you lose everything is exaggerated..
So you better win” ~ @RealPitino #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/wwzcXx1YiP
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 17, 2025
What Red Storm’s Big Win Means To Rick Pinito
In another interview with FOX News, Pinito was asked what the big win meant to him.
“We just wanted to play every game in the Big East Tournament as if it was the first round, second round and third round [of the NCAA Tournament],” Pinito said.
“We did that. The pressure was mounting on us, but we came through in a big way,” Pitino added.
Pinito was hired in 2023 after leaving Iona where he coached for three seasons, following a stint at Louisville. He spoke about last year’s season as well as what he is looking forward to for March Madness.
“Were we upset [last year]? We were disappointed for the players,” the head coach told the New York Post. “But we did something about it. You can’t do anything about not getting picked. But you can do something about making sure you get picked next time around.”
“I’m just going to focus on Omaha,” Pitino said. “I’ve lost in the first round before, so we’ll just focus on that. … Our players are not tired right now. They’re on a high.”
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