Rick Pitino Trolls Reporter Asking If St. John's is 'Hungry' to Beat Duke in New Trending Video

St. John's head coach Rick Pitino had some fun with a reporter's question leading up to Friday's Sweet 16 game against Duke.

Asked if his team is still "hungry" going into a marquee matchup, Pitino jokingly responded that he hasn't "fed them in a week" to keep their appetite strong.

Maintaining the right level of hunger is something Pitino himself has mentioned prioritizing. He explained during his introductory press conference with St. John's in March 2023 what motivates him to continue coaching at this stage of his life:

"I wear a shirt called PHD, all the time. I don't have one, but it stands for Passionate, Hungry and Driven. Been that way all my life. I get that expression from a very astute financial advisor named Mario Gabelli. … I asked him, 'where he gets his talent from? What school? University of Chicago, Princeton?' He said, no I just look for PHD. … I just have a passion, hunger and drive to excellence on the basketball court, to teach my players more than just basketball, but how to excel in life."

Motivation wouldn't seem like a hard thing to come by at this point in the season. Pitino has this St. John's team two wins away from reaching the Final Four for the first time since the 1984-85 season.

Add into it that the Red Storm have the opportunity to do it by knocking out a Duke team that Pitino has a rich history against, most notably being on the receiving end of the Christian Laettner shot in the 1992 tournament, the hunger is probably strong for everyone with the program right now.

Duke has looked vulnerable for long stretches through the first two rounds of the tournament. The Blue Devils became the first No. 1 seed to fall behind by double-digits against a 16 seed before surging late in the second half to beat Siena.

The second round win over TCU had a lopsided 81-58 final score, but the game was tied six minutes into the second half.

St. John's and Duke will tipoff on Friday at 7:10 p.m. ET with the winner advancing to the Elite Eight.