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Following St. John’s agonizing Sweet 16 defeat to Duke on Friday night, head coach Rick Pitino offered a suggestion to the NCAA: let the losing team conduct interviews first.
Pitino began his post-game press conference by raising a procedural issue, noting his team was left “waiting” for over 30 minutes after their narrow loss to Duke.
St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino engages with his team during the second half of an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 match against Duke in Washington, held on March 27, 2026. (Abbie Parr/AP)
“I have a suggestion for the NCAA. When you organize on-court interviews for the winning team, like Duke, the losing team should go first. This is because we were left feeling dejected in the locker room while the opposing team was celebrating, and rightly so.
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“Allow the losing team to finish their media obligations first, then let the winning team have as much time as they need. Just a thought.”
Being kept waiting on the sidelines compounded what was already a difficult evening for St. John’s.
Duke overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half to defeat the No. 5 seed St. John’s 80-75, eliminating them from the NCAA tournament. The Blue Devils now advance to the Elite Eight, where they will face UConn.
St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino displays emotion during the second half of an NCAA Tournament second-round game against Kansas in San Diego on March 22, 2026. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)
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During the press conference, Pitino stated, “Our defense ultimately faltered. It wasn’t merely about poor positioning. We were simply overpowered on drives to the basket. They often do that to many teams, which is why they hold the No. 1 ranking nationally. We struggled to defend those aggressive drives.”
Caleb Foster returned from a broken foot, contributing 11 points in the second half. Isaiah Evans notched 25 points, and Cameron Boozer achieved a double-double with 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 of the NCAA Tournament in Washington on March 27, 2026. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP)
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Duke holds a 3-2 record against UConn in the NCAA Tournament but has suffered losses in their last two encounters, including the 1999 championship game.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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