Rick Pitino had hoped his son, Richard Pitino, could achieve something he hadn’t — lead his team to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, Rick found himself watching his son’s team lose in the second round instead.
Rick traveled from New York to Cleveland to watch Richard’s New Mexico team take on Michigan State in the second round of the South Region on Sunday night. The Lobos started strong, but the Spartans gained control in the second half, eventually winning 71-63.
Richard Pitino learned on Saturday night that his father would be attending the game after Rick requested six tickets. St. John’s, the No. 2 seed in the West Region, had been defeated by Arkansas 75-66 in Providence, Rhode Island, the day before.
Rick Pitino sat across from New Mexico’s bench and was shown on the scoreboard during a media timeout in the first half.
“He’s an incredible father, but it wasn’t a surprise. I knew he was coming, and I’m very, very grateful,” Richard Pitino said after the game. “It was a tough loss, and I really appreciated that he was there.”
It had been a busy weekend of travel for the Pitino family and their friends. Richard mentioned on Saturday that a group had been traveling between Providence and Cleveland throughout the weekend.
“My brother Chris is in Providence with his kids, so he didn’t bring them down here, but there was a group that — they’re high rollers. They’ve got their own plane, so it’s not like they’re flying in a middle seat on Southwest. They flew in a private plane from Providence with some cocktails,” Richard Pitino said. “They seemed to have a good time flying down here. They were enjoying themselves, and that’s how it should be.”
This marks the fourth time Richard Pitino has led a team to the NCAA Tournament, including back-to-back appearances with New Mexico. It was also the second time father and son had teams in the 68-team field.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo improved his record to 4-1 in March Madness games against the Pitino family. Izzo has defeated Richard Pitino in both of their matchups, and is 2-1 against Rick.