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Can Rick Pitino and Richard Pitino Meet in March Madness?
Pictured: New Mexico head coach Richard Pitino and St. John's head coach Rick Pitino. Photo by Wendell Cruz via Imagn Images.

After No. 10 seed New Mexico upset No. 7 seed Marquette in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night, head coach Richard Pitino punched his ticket to the second round - something his father Rick Pitino, St. John's head coach, did on Thursday night.

The pair are the first father-son duo to win NCAA Tournament games in the same year leading different schools in March Madness history. But can Rick Pitino and Richard Pitino meet in March Madness? We look at the odds and projections for a historic meeting in this year's tournament.

🏀 Can Rick Pitino and Richard Pitino meet in March Madness?

In theory, the father-son duo most definitely can meet in the NCAA Tournament if St. John's and New Mexico both manage to win their next three games. With the Red Storm in the West region and the Lobos in the South region, the two programs could potentially meet in the Final Four ... but a lot would need to happen.

Although St. John's is a popular pick to make it to the last weekend of the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed, it would need to take down Florida in the Elite Eight. The Gators have the second-shortest March Madness odds.

Meanwhile, New Mexico is a massive long shot to be among the last four teams left in March Madness. The Lobos are +6600 by the Final Four odds, implying just a 1.49% probability they'll even have a shot of reaching the round they would need to for Richard Pitino to play against his father. 

While there's no perfect science to calculate the probability of them meeting, there might be a better chance of someone having a perfect bracket going into the final weekend of March Madness than the younger and elder Pitinio meeting in this year's tournament.

Using our parlay calculator and the best odds available for each program to reach the Final Four from our March Madness betting sites, the projected odds are +33400. Those odds imply a 0.30% probability that Rick Pitino's St. John's team and Richard Pitino's New Mexico program meet in the Final Four.

🎲 Odds that Rick Pitino and Richard Pitino meet in March Madness

🌪️ St. John's March Madness odds:

  • March Madness championship odds: +2800
  • To reach championship game odds: +1400
  • Final Four odds: +400
  • Elite Eight odds: +138

St. John's path to the Final Four

RoundPotential opponentsOpponents March Madness odds
Second roundArkansas (actual opponent)+29000
Sweet 16Texas Tech+3500
Sweet 16Drake+47000
Elite EightFlorida+360
Elite EightMaryland+6000
Elite EightColorado State+50000
Elite EightUConn+13000

🐺 New Mexico March Madness odds:

  • March Madness championship odds: +50000
  • To reach championship game odds: +12000
  • Final Four odds: +6600
  • Elite Eight odds: OFF

New Mexico's path to the Final Four

RoundPotential opponentsOpponents March Madness odds
Second roundMichigan State (actual opponent)+3100
Sweet 16Iowa State+4000
Sweet 16Ole Miss+15000
Elite EightAuburn+550
Elite EightTexas A&M+10000
Elite EightMichigan+15000
Elite EightCreighton+16000

4️⃣ Pitino parlay: St. John's and New Mexico to reach Final Four parlay

At this current time, best sports betting sites aren't allowing for Final Four parlays with games ongoing. However, using our parlay calculator and the best Final Four odds for both programs, the projected Pitino Final Four parlay odds are +33400. That implies just a 0.3% chance that the father and son will meet in the Final Four. But if they do, a $10 bet would pay a $3,340 profit.

🚨 St. John's to make Final Four (+400)
🚨 New Mexico to make Final Four (+6600)

📊 Best parlay odds: +33400 ($10 to win $3,340)

💰 March Madness betting odds pages

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