"I'm in total agreement with Coach K": St. John's HC Rick Pitino thinks combining ACC & the Big East would be "awesome"

St. John’s coach Rick Pitino threw his support behind the idea of merging the ACC and Big East. He called the potential “megaconference” an “awesome” move for the future of college basketball.

Pitino echoed sentiments previously shared by Mike Krzyzewski, also known as Coach K. Krzyzewski said that uniting the two conferences could help safeguard basketball’s prominence in an era dominated by college football.

“Well, I am in total agreement with Coach K,” Pitino said on Friday, via CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein. “See, when I started, John, before you were born, 51 years ago, football, college football and college basketball were on the same plane. The NFL and the NBA were on the same plane. Today, the NFL is here, the NBA is here. Not globally, I'm talking about the U.S.”

Pitino pointed to the shifting sports landscape, where football’s popularity and TV ratings often eclipse basketball, even at the highest level.

“A bad college football game will surpass an NBA playoff game as far as viewership is concerned,” Pitino said.

For Pitino, the solution to ensuring basketball’s continued relevance is to think boldly, something he feels the sport’s governing bodies have not done enough of.

“If we want to survive basketball-wise with the ACC and the Big East and preserve the Dukes, the Carolinas, the Lobos of the world, and the Big East, combining it into a megaconference would be an awesome thing,” Pitino said.

However, Pitino admitted that enthusiasm for the idea is limited.

“Unfortunately, outside of Coach K and myself, I don't think there's a lot of feelings that way, Pitino said. "I don't think the NCAA is very proactive. I don't think the ACC and the Big East are very proactive. I don't think they think outside the box.”

The Red Storm are competing in the Big East, and is a founding member of the conference.

Rick Pitino opens door to Louisville return

Rick Pitino hinted at being open to a Louisville return, years after his controversial exit in 2017.

During his appearance on "Inside College Basketball Now on Monday," the Hall of Fame coach admitted past tensions with the school. However, he added that key figures he clashed with are no longer in power.

Pitino spent 16 seasons with the Cardinals from 2001 to 2017, leading them to multiple NCAA Tournament runs, including the 2013 national championship.

While he said that some grievances remain, he acknowledged that today’s leadership is different. That leaves the door slightly ajar for a future connection with the program where he achieved some of his greatest coaching success.