Rick Pitino and the St. John's Red Storm are scheduled to take on the Kansas Jayhawks in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. Leading up to the contest, Pitino praised Jayhawks head coach Bill Self, despite calling out their lobbing tendencies.

While talking with media members, the 73-year-old head coach claimed that Kansas throws more “lob dunks” than any other team in the nation he's seen, according to Sam Lance of The Daily. However, Pitino followed that statement up with kind words about Self.

“This team throws more lob dunks than any team I've seen this year,” said Pitino… “But Bill's always been one of the premier coaches ever since I entered this business… He's had a long run at Kansas. He's a great guy.”

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St. John's entered the tourney on a three-game winning streak, earning the Big East Championship. Rick Pitino led the Red Storm to a big 79-53 win over the Northern Iowa Panthers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. They'll have their hands full against Kansas, as the Jayhawks are hoping Darryn Peterson can carry them through to the next round.

However, St. John's is led by Zuby Ejiofor, who stepped up big in the first round of the tournament. Ejiofor ended the win over Northern Iowa with 14 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, and one steal. He also shot 40.0% from the field while hitting one out of his three three-point shots.

Rick Pitino, who is a two-time National Champion head coach, accepted the St. John's job in 2023. The Red Storm has seemingly become a powerhouse once again under Pitino, as the program has 79–24 under his leadership. They will have a chance to advance in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, when they take on Kansas at 5:15 p.m. EST.