Is Rick Pitino right that blue bloods 'no longer control' college basketball?

[RandySF]

Rick Pitino raised eyebrows last week with comments about the status of traditional blue blood programs in the current landscape of men’s college basketball. Essentially, Pitino suggested the “blue bloods” are almost as passé as compact discs.

“The blue bloods no longer control basketball any longer,” the St. John’s coach said prior to the No. 5 seed Red Storm playing (and losing to) No. 1 seed Duke in the NCAA Tournament round of 16.

“There’s no difference between Kentucky, North Carolina (and) Illinois or St. John’s,” Pitino said. “There’s no difference anymore. ... You’re going to see 40 to 50 teams all the same. There’s no such thing as a blue blood anymore.”

Pitino explained that, in his view, the traditional advantages enjoyed by blue bloods such as better facilities, greater tradition and larger fan bases are no longer as resonant in an era when power-conference schools woo players by offering six- or seven-figure contracts.




https://www.kentucky.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/mark-story/article315251050.html#storylink=cpy

[Soul_of_Wit]

1. The Big Ten is interesting

Nebraska is now a basketball school, and Indiana is now a football school. As for Illinois, they are the only 2026 Final Four team to never have a national championship. Michigan and Arizona have one each. Connecticut is the blue blood, having torn down the nets six times.

The long-term effects of paid college sports remain to be seen. I would argue that the sheer size of the power conferences is the biggest factor in who can win. Conferences share profits and that is how schools can afford to go after top talent. The Big Eighteen?!

[Sewa]

2. As usual Pitino is a lying piece of shit

The cheating scumbag should have been banned from coaching college basketball 😡💀