NFL Tickets
Love him or hate him, there is no denying that when it comes to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, Louisville Cardinals’ head coach since 2001, Rick Pitino, knows how to get the job done.
With the Cardinals winning their first two games of this year’s tournament, Pitino has now been to the Sweet Sixteen an impressive ten times. Even more impressive, with Louisville’s upset win over the Michigan State Spartans, he is now a perfect 10-o in those Sweet Sixteen appearances.
Pitino also has the distinction of being the only head coach in NCAA men’s basketball history to lead three different teams to the Final Four: the Providence Friars, the Louisville Cardinals, and the Kentucky Wildcats.
His only national championship, however, came in the 1995-96 season when his Wildcats defeated the Syracuse Orange to finish the season with a 34-2 record.
Pitino has compiled a 626-229 record over his 26 year collegiate career giving him an impressive .732 winning percentage.
After a brief and mediocre stint in the professional ranks as head coach of both the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics, it became clear that Pitino was made for the college game, and so he returned.
Since he’s been in Louisville, he has taken the Cardinals to the NCAA Tournament 6 out of 7 years. This will be his third time taking the Cardinals to the Elite Eight, and fans are hoping he will take them back to the Final Four.
Up next, the Cardinals will face the winner of the Florida/Marquette match-up in the Elite Eight, where Pitino holds a 5-4 record.
Though he is certainly has a bold and often brash personality and has previously found himself in the midst of controversy, there is no denying that Rick Pitino is likely one of the best to ever coach the game at the college level, especially when it comes to the biggest stage of all—the NCAA Tournament.
Share 
