Pitino: Blue Bloods' Reign Over, Mid-Majors Rise

0:00On March 26, St. John's Red Storm, coached by Rick Patino, pulled off a big upset by beating Kansas in the round of 32, advancing to face. Duke in the sweet 16 on Friday, Patino, who once coached Kentucky, says the days of Blue Blood programs dominating college basketball are over. He believes all teens are now on equal footing, making the sport more exciting. Blue Bloods like UCLA, Kentucky, UConn, North Carolina, Duke and Kansas have won most NCAA titles over the years. Right now, three remain in the tournament, Duke, UConn and Michigan state. Patino points to rising mid majors and strong non-elites as proof the gap is closed. Fans might push back on Patino's bowl take, since Blue Bloods still look like favorites to win it all. For his argument to stick, St. John's would need to knock off Duke and keep succeeding. But it could take years of upsets to fully change the narrative. This match up revives memories of the 1992 tournament, when Patino's Kentucky failed

1:03to Duke on a famous buzzer-beater by Christian. Later, Patino hopes for payback. While Duke's legendary coach, Mike Kyrzizesky noted it's been 34 years and praised how Patino handled that tough. Lost back then? Patino looks back finally on that classic game for its pure play. Not the defeat, setting the stage for what could be another thriller as underdogs. Chase history.