Watch: Rick Pitino goes viral for ripping St. John's toughness

It was a game that St. John's should have lost, but Rick Pitino proved at halftime why he's considered one of the best coaches to ever grace the sideline of a college basketball game.

The footage making the rounds on social media and going viral is of Pitino getting after his team at halftime against Providence back in December of 2024. The Red Storm were down, 42-29, and Pitino was not happy with his team's apparent lack of toughness.

“Dig in and be a basketball player. Dig in. Every time you miss a shot, your game deflates. We don’t care about your missed shots. Play f—ing defense. You guys keep blowing opportunity upon opportunity upon opportunity,” said Pitino, as captured by Vice Sports. 

“You’re like children with bad things happening. Instead of digging in and being tougher, you wilt! Where is your f—ing toughness? Where have you guys been raised that you’re so weak mentally that you just f—ing give up when something doesn’t go right for you? Don’t you know what adversity is all about? That’s the f—ing game of life, not the game of basketball. You don’t f—ing get down when things go wrong. You dig in and get tougher," Pitino continued. "Your whole life’s going to be adversity. Learn how to f—ing deal with it."