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St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino had some advice for the NCAA following the Red Storm’s heartbreaking loss to Duke in the Sweet 16 on Friday night: let the losers go first.
Pitino opened his press conference with a point of order after he said his team was left “hanging” for over 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 interviews on the court for Duke – for the winning team … is to have the losing team go 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 let the winning team have as long as you want. Just a suggestion.”
Waiting on the sidelines added to a tough night for St. John’s.
Duke rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half to knock the No. 5 seed St. John’s out of the NCAA tournament with an 80-75 win 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 broke down,” Pitino said during the press conference. . “It wasn’t so much not being in the right place. We just got bullied to the basket. They do that to a lot of teams. That’s why they’re the No. 1-ranked team in the country. We couldn’t defend the bully drives.”
Caleb Foster also made his return from a broken foot, scoring 11 points in the second half, while Isaiah Evans added 25 points, and Cameron Boozer totaled 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 in 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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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