Standing in the U.S. Coast Guard hangar in Puerto Rico three years ago, Rick Pitino looked uneasy after his Louisville men's basketball team's 81-68 opening win over Minnesota in the Armed Forces Classic on national TV.
"I really didn't want to play this game," he said afterward. "I hate the fact that we won. … So, for all the exposure, it was great until the end of the game. I'd rather have not played it because my son lost."
Fast forward to this week, ESPN.com's Myron Medcalf wrote about matchups college hoops needs right now, mentioning his wanting to see a Pitino vs. Pitino rematch like the rest of us. I tweeted it wouldn't happen again, because they don't want to play. Want evidence? How about the awkwardness when they were almost put in that position last season as the first father and son to make the same NCAAs.
But here was Richard Pitino's Twitter response: "That was in the NCAA tournament. Happy to play them in the regular season."
MARCUS FULLER
