The final horn hadn’t even sounded when Rick Pitino started making his way off the court. He congratulated his archnemesis, John Calipari, and the Arkansas Razorbacks staff, then quickly hit the exit into an alcove after what was assuredly one of the most bitter defeats of his brilliant career. The rest of the St. John’s Red Storm trailed well behind their coach after going through the handshake line.
The scene outside the St. John’s locker room was funereal and confusing. Pitino’s top assistant coach, Steve Masiello, conversed quietly with program staffer Kenny Klein. Then Masiello pressed two fingers against the bridge of his nose, as if feeling the onset of a migraine, and leaned against a wall.
