Gophers basketball head coach Richard Pitino will get another chance to beat his father, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, at The Armed Forces Classic next season.
ESPN announced Wednesday that the Gophers will play the Louisville Cardinals on Nov. 14, 2014 at at the Coast Guard Academy’s United States Air Station in Borinquen, Puerto Rico.
Louisville-Minnesota/Pitino vs Pitino in Puerto Rico at Coast Guard Base for 2014 Armed Forces Classic: http://t.co/lKHsSfW7Vm
— Andy Katz (@TheAndyKatz) December 18, 2013
Pitino’s Gophers are off to a 9-2 start in his first season as head coach at the U of M. Rick Pitino, meanwhile, has Louisville back near the top of the NCAA rankings just one-year after leading Louisville to the NCAA title.
Pitino is 0-1 against his father after the team he coached last year – Florida International – was crushed by Louisville, 79-55, according to the Star Tribune.
Here’s the official press release from the ESPN announcement.
The Armed Forces Classic – a series of Division I men’s college basketball games – is being played on United States military bases worldwide over a five-year rotation – will originate from the Coast Guard in 2014, Marines in 2015 and Navy in 2016. The games will be played at a different branch of service at a Military installation each year.
The third annual game on November 14, 2014 will take place from the United States Air Station Borinquen in Puerto Rico and will feature 2013 national champion Louisville vs. Minnesota. Rick Pitino, a 2013 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, will face his son Richard Pitino, currently in his first season as head coach of the Gophers.
The Gophers (9-2) are back in action when they host Nebraska-Omaha on Friday at Williams Arena.
