Rick Pitino explains why March Madness is ‘the greatest event there is’
By Mark Kern
Published:
Rick Pitino is one of the best coaches in college basketball history, and he has been involved in some of the best games in tournament history. St. John’s advanced to the Round of 32 on Friday night with a 70-53 victory against Northern Iowa.
While talking to reporters on Saturday, Pitino talked about what separates the sport from any other sporting event in the country.
“March Madness is the greatest month in all of sports, better than the Super Bowl, better than the Grand Prix Monaco,” Pitino said. “It’s the best because it’s madness the entire month. It’s not one game in the Super Bowl. So it’s the greatest event there is.”
Up next for the Red Storm is a matchup against the Kansas Jayhawks in one of the more intriguing second round games on Sunday. The coaching matchup between Pitino and Bill Self is as good as you can find in college basketball, as they are both in the basketball Hall of Fame.
St. John’s star big man Zubi Ejifor began his college career at KU, but transferred out and has now became a star for the Red Storm. The game also features KU star Darryn Peterson, who is a guy who could be drafted with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Tip-off between the two teams is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. ET, and the game will be on CBS.
St. John’s is looked at as a team that is more than capable of making it to the Final Four, as they have an 11% chance of making it according to the Kalshi odds.
