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Rick Pitino Reveals Potential Massive Plan For Big East Expansion

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Spencer Ostrow | Last updated Mar 18, 2025 4:56 PM ET

Rick Pitino is back in the NCAA Tournament as a Big East coach, leading his No. 2 seed St. John’s Red Storm against the No. 15 seed Omaha Mavericks in the West Region.

Now in his second season at St. John’s, the 72-year-old coaching legend has had an extensive career, with stops at Iona, Louisville, Kentucky, Providence, Boston College, and Hawaii. While the Louisville Cardinals are now in the ACC, Pitino was at the helm for all eight of the program’s seasons in the Big East.

During those years leading Louisiville, he won two Big East regular-season titles and three Big East Tournament championships. With St. John’s adding to both tallies this year, his personal total now stands at three regular-season titles and four tournament championships in the league.

Given his deep ties to the Big East, Pitino knows the conference as well as anyone. And during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday, he made it clear that he wants the conference to expand.

"I've been trying to get [The Big East] to expand now for two years," Pitino said.

The two-time national championship-winning head coach even suggested that combining with the ACC would be a great move, calling it "a wonderful thing."

"I think that even combining, like Coach K said, the ACC with the Big East in basketball would be a wonderful thing. Larger is better."

The last time the Big East expanded was in 2020 when UConn rejoined after leaving in 2013.

Since then, the Big East has regained its status as a premier conference in college basketball. UConn has won back-to-back national championships and, this season landed five teams in the NCAA Tournament.

Pitino and St. John's game against Omaha is set for Thursday at 9:45 p.m. ET in Providence, Rhode Island.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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