CHICAGO — Dylan Darling laughed when asked about the mood around the team being different now compared to a month ago, like the person asking the question forgot who was coaching St. John’s.
Of course it is.
With Rick Pitino, there is winning and there is misery. This is the guy who half-jokingly said he wanted to dive into a snowbank and get frostbite after a last-second loss at Creighton a few years ago in frigid Omaha, Neb. His son, Xavier coach Richard Pitino, said you can’t talk to his dad for at least 24 hours following defeat.
“After a loss here, you would maybe think someone shot Coach P’s dog or something,” Darling, a key reserve, said Monday as the No. 22 Johnnies prepared to meet DePaul on Tuesday. “Now, we see him smile here and there during practice, so that’s good.”