After more than 50 years as a college basketball coach, Rick Pitino still harbors a grudge. The Elite Eight match between Duke and Kentucky in 1992, when he was coaching the Wildcats, always sticks in his memory. Notably, Blue Devil Christian Laettner’s “The Shot” marked the game’s conclusion.
This game is frequently recognized as one of the best in college basketball history because Duke won and advanced to the Final Four thanks to this buzzer-beating basket. Pitino was on the losing side of that particular historical event.
Pitino has been seeking retribution against Duke for heartbreaking him and Kentucky during the 1992 tournament for the past 34 years. His St. John’s team is scheduled to play Duke in the Sweet 16 this coming weekend, so that wish might come true.
The Red Storm’s recent historic buzzer-beating performance on Sunday, in which Dylan Darling made a basket in the closing seconds to defeat Kansas 67–65 and progress in the tournament, is helpful. Pitino and the Red Storm now have the confidence to potentially duplicate the exciting event against the Blue Devils the following weekend. This is what Pitino said.
“I’ve been on winning at the buzzer and losing at the buzzer,” Pitino said. “… You win some, you lose some. But, I’m hoping we can get Duke at the buzzer next to make up for that Christian Laettner shot.”
Pitino also talked about how the Laettner shot recently set him off as he was watching the popular Hulu series Paradise. Staff colleagues had encouraged him to watch the show, and he was disappointed to hear a character talk about Laettner’s historic shot in the first episode. Even when Pitino wanted to enjoy a show, he didn’t feel like he could get out of this difficult time in his coaching career.
Pitino would be satisfied if they defeated Duke in the Sweet 16. It goes without saying that he wants his team to win the tournament, but defeating title favorite Duke in the process would be the icing on the cake. People, get your popcorn ready for this clash.
