"Story of a talented guy that kinda screwed his life up": Colin Cowherd makes his feelings known on St. John HC Rick Pitino ahead of March Madness 

American sports media personality Colin Cowherd expressed his support for St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino on Monday’s episode of "The Herd", ahead of March Madness.

Cowherd showered great praise on the Red Storm coach, making a case for his greatness in spite of the controversies that have rocked his career.

"I'm rooting for Rick Pitino, and I think they have a chance to win it," Cowherd said on the Herd. "He is the story, and we see this a lot in America, of a really talented guy that kinda screwed his life up. There is an argument he is, along with John Wooden, Coach K, and a few others, the greatest college basketball coach ever. He's kinda got a Bill Parcells feel, an Urban Meyer feel, a Jim Harbaugh feel. He's got a formula, coaches hard, great eye for talent."

Pitino, who joined St. John’s in 2023, pulled off what many consider one of the best achievements in his career.

The 72-year-old led the Red Storm to a dominant season in the Big East, clinching the program’s first regular season and conference championship titles in over two decades. The program is also back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in two years.

The sort of quick turnaround that Pitino has done at St. John’s is also one of his attributes that impresses Cowherd.

"His strength, because of his kinda mess ups, is his flexibility, his mobility, his ability to be thrown into turbulence and course-correct the program overnight," Cowherd said. "And I'm gonna root for St. John's because a lot of really smart people occasionally in life screw up."

Pitino is the first and only head coach in the history of Division I men's basketball that has taken six different teams to March Madness.

Pitino and St. John’s earn No. 2 seed in March Madness

Following their success in the Big East this season, the Red Storm have the No. 2 seed in the West Region.

This is the same bracket that also has their Big East rivals and two-time defending champions, the UConn Huskies.

The Johnnies will play No. 15 Omaha in the first round on Thursday, and if they win, they will face one of No. 7 Kansas and No.10 Arkansas in the second round on Saturday.