Louisville, on its way to the ACC next season, is interested in maintaining a series with St. John’s, sources told The Post.
It makes sense for a couple of reasons, starting with the fact that Louisville coach Rick Pitino, says he has been a “St. John’s fan” since his days growing up in the city.
But there’s more to it than that. Pitino wants to keep a presence in the recruiting rich Northeast. And Louisville’s rival, Kentucky, had a great experience playing Maryland in Barclays Center earlier this season.
Wildcats coach John Calipari said after his team’s season-opening 72-69 win over the Terps that he was so impressed with the new arena in Brooklyn and the electricity generated by the 17,732 fans who packed the joint that he would be interested in bringing his program back to Brooklyn.
➤ If form holds and No. 1-seed Georgetown meets No. 2 seed Louisville in Saturday night’s Big East Tournament Championship game, there will be a lot more on the line than just the title.
If Louisville wins, it likely will get the No. 1 seed in South and play its second- and third-round games in Lexington, Ky.
If the Hoyas win, they likely would get the last No. 1 seed or the first No. 2 seed and open in Philadelphia.
One thing is certain, the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee is not going to waver from protection of the top seeds.
“I don’t feel at all that we’re overfavoring the top‑line seeds,’’ committee head Mike Bobinski said. “They earned that position throughout the regular season. The sites are chosen years in advance. If it appears in any given year they’re being unfairly advantaged, it’s circumstantial and coincidental.’’
* Have you noticed the beautiful new court in the Garden for the Big East Tournament? The Big East purchased new courts for its men’s and women’s tournaments.
“It’s a clean, good look,’’ Big East basketball commissioner Paul Brazeau told The Post. “There are no NBA lines. It’s pure college basketball.’’
The Big East bought the courts, made from Michigan maple, from Connor Sports Flooring in Michigan. Connor sent an advance team to measure so the court would fit the footprint of the Garden perfectly. According to its website, Connor’s courts sell for $85,000-$95,000.
➤ Legendary Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, who expounded on his Big East Tournament history yesterday, was asked about potentially retiring considering his team is headed to the ACC next season.
Boeheim said that he has told fellow Syracuse alum (and Giants coach) Tom Coughlin, “I’m not gonna retire until you retire.”
Regarding retiring, Boeheim said, “I never think that it’s soon.” He’s coached 37 years at Syracuse, winning 914 games and counting — second all-time to Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski.