What St. John's Coach Rick Pitino Said About Kansas Before Matchup

In just three seasons, legendary head coach Rick Pitino has taken St. John's to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and a chance to advance to the Sweet 16. He will meet Kansas' Bill Self for the second time ever on the opposing sideline in the Red Storm's Round of 32 matchup this evening.

Although SJU is only a No. 5 seed, it is one of the hottest teams in the entire bracket. They steamrolled UConn in the Big East Championship to take home the conference crown and took care of Northern Iowa in the opening round of the Big Dance.

On Saturday, Pitino briefly spoke to the media to preview his team's looming tournament clash. He was asked about KU star Darryn Peterson and what flaws he will look to exploit to slow down the 19-year-old phenom.

"Who said he has flaws? I haven't heard that he has any flaws, because they're projecting him as the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. But if you know some, please let me know." Pitino joked. "We're going to put Dillon Mitchell on him. Dillon's our best defensive player."

"But he does so many great things," he continued. "He got a great jump shot, he gets fouled, gets to the line five or six times a game. You know he's going to shoot the basketball, because he has a negative assist/turnover ratio."

Mitchell, a 6-foot-8, 205-pound forward, was a Big East All-Defensive Team selection this year. He averages 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks, and Peterson will have his work cut out for him on the offensive end today.

Pitino Was Asked About Zuby Ejiofor’s Revenge Game

Pitino was also questioned about his star player Zuby Ejiofor, who spent his freshman year at Kansas before transferring to Queens. He revealed the message he has been sending to Ejiofor before the contest.

"He needs to relax a little bit. Don't get involved in the fact that you need to show Kansas anything. Just relax and let the game come to you.

Rick Pitino and Bill Self Meet for Second Time Ever

Pitino has been a head coach at the Division I level for 50 years, but the only time he and Coach Self have met on opposite sidelines came in 2021 at Iona in the ESPN Events Invitational. Pitino was asked if he was surprised that he and Self, who account for two of the four active Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame college coaches, have only met once.

"Pretty much, especially being at Kentucky and Louisville, he kicked our butt when I was at Iona. Took advantage of that poor little Catholic school. Made us cry and go home.

It is no secret that Kansas is one of the most inconsistent teams in the nation. Although it holds marquee wins over teams like Arizona, Houston, Iowa State, Texas Tech, and BYU, it also fell to UCF, West Virginia, and other lower-tier schools in Big 12 play. Pitino noted that part of what makes KU so dangerous is that you never know what team you are going to get on any given day.

"Remember, this is a team that blew out by 20 Iowa State. So it depends what Kansas team you're facing. There's been some nights where they haven't been great, and there's other nights where they could be national champions. I'm hoping it's not the one I just mentioned."