The story of a 24-point win by a No. 4 seed over a No. 13 seed is rarely about the lower-seeded team. But when Rick Pitino is involved, things are rarely normal.
UConn pulled away in the second half for a convincing victory over Iona on Friday, giving the Huskies the program’s first NCAA tournament win in more than 2,500 days. But with the coaching vacancy at St. John’s looming and Pitino a potential prime candidate, the Hall of Fame coach’s every word this week was awaited with baited breath. Fair or not to either team, the rumors nearly overtook the game in importance.
Speculation that this offseason could mark his return to a big-name program has been rampant since Pitino was largely cleared this fall in the NCAA investigation that led to his ouster at Louisville. It surged to a roar in the last week, as reports that there was mutual interest between St. John’s and the 70-year-old coach surfaced. Pitino and his players attempted to deny the distraction (“you’re not hired by the internet,” Pitino said Thursday), but it would have been impossible for his team not to hear the noise about his potential exit.
