Pitino Picks Up 700th Career Win
Published at(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) — It wasn’t as comfortable a victory as was probably expected, but No. 6 Louisville defeated Cleveland State 45-33 on Wednesday night in what was the 700th career victory for head coach Rick Pitino.
I hope I’m as lucky to (win) 800, because I remember it as if it was yesterday,” said Pitino. “I don’t think there’s as much significance personally for me, but the significance I take away is that senior class last year, how many games they won. I was the beneficiary today.”
The 62-year-old became the 20th coach in Division I history to win 700 career games and ranks sixth among active head coaches. Pitino is now 700-245 in his career, including 346-117 in 14 seasons with the Cardinals (5-0).
Louisville struggled to pull away all night, leading 33-29 with 12 minutes remaining. A combination of poor shooting and missed free throws allowed the Vikings (2-3) to think upset. However, Cleveland State made just two of their final 14 shots and did not score in the final six minutes.
Montrezl Harrell had 15 points and 13 rebounds in the win, Louisville’s lowest scoring game since 1997. The Vikings were paced by Trey Lewis’ 24 points.
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