The last time Rick Pitino had a slice of humble pie it was delivered through his umbilical cord. That’s a compliment.
Pitino is a New Yorker to the core — cocky, opinionated, brash. And his teams play that way.
His teams — the Boston University Terriers (made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 24 years in 1983), the Providence Friars (went to the Final Four in 1987), the Kentucky Wildcats (won it all in 1996) and the Louisville Cardinals (have a real chance to cut down the nets in Atlanta) — don’t back down.
These Cardinals, the ones who shared the Big East Conference regular season title with Georgetown and Marquette, are in attack mode from the minute they get off the bus. They were the preseason pick to win the Big East this season and many had them winning it all.
It’s exactly where Pitino likes his teams to be. And it’s exactly where the Cardinals are.
The have won seven straight games by an average of 17.4 points. It would have been 11 straight had they not lost that five OT game, 104-101, at Notre Dame in which Pitino nearly went Hannibal Lecter on Russ Smith.
“We kind of ran into a buzz saw today,’’ Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said Saturday after the Cards avenged that loss with a 73-57 rout.
That buzz saw is about to cut up the Garden. Louisville is our pick to win the last Big East Conference Tournament as we know it. Next year Syracuse and Pittsburgh will move to the ACC, with Louisville not far behind. Connecticut is not eligible for this year’s tournament because it failed to meet NCAA academic requirements.
The Cards (26-5, 14-4 Big East) shared the regular season title with Georgetown (24-5), which earned the No. 1 based on the tiebreaker, and Marquette (23-7), which is the No. 3 seed.
Louisville, the No. 2 seed, opens play Thursday night against the winner of the St. John’s-Villanova game. The Cards have all it takes to be the first team since Syracuse in 2005-06 to repeat as Big East champ.
In Peyton Siva, Louisville has the most precious of March commodities — a senior point guard. In Gorgui Dieng, the Cards have one of the rarest commodities in college basketball — a legitimate big man. And in Russ Smith, they have a scorer who can take over a game.
Expect form to hold. Georgetown, which has won 12 of 13, should advance to the title game, surviving a physical brawl with fourth-seeded Pitt. The Cardinals have too much offense for Marquette, which they beat 70-51 during the regular season.
That will set up an intriguing final between a Louisville team that will press and try to push the tempo and a Georgetown squad that can filibuster with the best politicians. The difference will be Louisville has more offensive options.
Louisville will leave New York with a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. It made it to the Final Four last season, losing to eventual national champ Kentucky. Pitino knew that night he had one of his vintage attack teams poised for a run the following season.
“If we stay humble and remember what got us here — our defense and unselfish play on offense — we can be a very good team,’’ Pitino said after the season-ending loss to Kentucky. “We can do something special.’’
How’s that for humble?
lenn.robbins@nypost.com
FAVORITES
GEORGETOWN
Record: 24-5, 14-4
Coach: John Thompson III
Star: F Otto Porter Jr. (16.4 PPG)
Flaw: Hoyas shoot 68 percent from the line, but we’re being picky.
Skinny: Winners of 12 of their last 13, the Hoyas are the Swiss watch of the Big East — precision play and pace makes opponents feel as if the clock in their heads is about to go, “Boom!” Porter Jr. can take over a game.
Odds: 5-2.
LOUISVILLE
Record: 26-5, 14-4
Coach: Rick Pitino
Star: C Gorgui Dieng (10.3 PPG)
Flaw: For a coach who loves the 3 almost as much as his white suit, the Cardinals only shoot 32 percent from behind the arc.
Skinny: The double bye should help Louisville, which thrives off of its pressure defense. Picked to win the league and having won seven straight, the Cards wear the bull’s-eye.
Odds: 3-1
MARQUETTE
Record: 23-7, 14-4
Coach: Buzz Williams
Star: G Vander Blue (14.4 PPG)
Flaw: The Golden Eagles are blind as bats from behind the arc, making just 29.9 percent of their 3-pointers, which allows teams to pack it in.
Skinny: A deep physical team that likes to muck it up. Ten players average at least 10 minutes. Not pretty, but the Big East has never been a beauty contest.
Odds: 15-1
SYRACUSE
Record: (23-8, 11-7)
Coach: Jim Boeheim
Star: F C.J. Fair (14.5 PPG)
Flaw: The Orange have three post players 6-foot-9 or taller. All have entered witness protection.
Skinny: ’Cuse is turning into one of the league’s biggest disappointments, having lost 4 of 5. Can it get its mind right in its last Big East Conference Tournament?
Odds: 35-1
PITTSBURGH
Record: 24-7, 12-6
Coach: Jamie Dixon
Star: C Steven Adams (7.1 PPG)
Flaw: Warning — the surgeon general says watching Pitt on offense can cause permanent eye damage.
Skinny: Panthers are very similar to Marquette but even tougher on defense, allowing just 54.9 points per game, 5th in the nation. If you can’t get UFC tickets, watch Pitt.
Odds: 40-1
FIELD
VILLANOVA
Record: 19-12, 10-8
Coach: Jay Wright
Star: G Ryan Arcidiacono (12.2 PPG)
Flaw: Might sound crazy, but this team is still finding itself. Since league play began the ’Cats haven’t won or lost more than three straight. They need four to win it all.
Skinny: With wins over Syracuse, Louisville and Georgetown, the ’Cats must be thinking, “Why not us?” Um, because they lost to Columbia.
Odds: 50-1
NOTRE DAME
Record: 23-8, 11-7
Coach: Mike Brey
Star: C Jack Cooley (13.6 PPG)
Flaw: Sometimes Cooley, despite being 6-foot-9, 246 pounds, becomes David Blaine and disappears.
Skinny: The Irish, averaging 17.5 assists a game, are so pretty to watch they can almost make you forget where you left the SI swimsuit issue. They take great care of the ball, too.
Odds: 50-1
PROVIDENCE
Record: 17-13, 9-9
Coach: Ed Cooley
Star: G Bryce Cotton (19.6 PPG)
Flaw: Shortest bench in NYC, including bus shelters.
Skinny: For a program that has not known winning of late, the Friars might have turned the corner, winning 7 of 9. Remarkably resilient, the Friars opened 2-7 in league play, suffering more injuries than the Yankees.
Odds: 75-1
CINCINNATI
Record: 21-10, 9-9
Coach: Mick Cronin
Star:G Sean Kilpatrick (17.3 PPG)
Flaw: If the Bearcats can’t get into the open court, they need a sherpa to find the basket. And, they see dead people at the foul line (64.4 percent).
Skinny: With Kilpatrick, Cashmere Wright, JaQuon Parker, Cincy presents matchup problems. Opened the season 12-0 before expectations weighed heavy.
Odds: 75-1
ST. JOHN’S
Record: 16-14, 8-10
Coach: Steve Lavin
Star: F JaKarr Sampson (14.9 PPG)
Flaw: Without guard D’Angelo Harrison, the Johnnies need Spock to remove the force field around the 3-point line.
Skinny: The tournament is on St. John’s home court, but the four-game losing streak is the longest of any team coming in. Ridiculously athletic. Remarkably inconsistent.
Odds: 125-1
LONGSHOTS
DEPAUL
Record:
11-20, 2-16
Coach: Oliver Purnell
Star: G Brandon Young (16.8 PPG)
Flaw: They just don’t know how to win, having lost 15 of their last 16 league games.
Skinny: We know the Blue Demons finished last, but they lost three games in OT and two others by five or less. Purnell has gotten them to play hard most nights
Odds: Off the board
RUTGERS
Record: 14-15, 5-13
Coach: Mike Rice
Star: G Myles Mack (13.3 PPG)
Flaw: Character, or lack thereof.
Skinny: Since opening league play 3-2 and overcoming the university suspension of Rice, Rutgers lost leading chucker Eli Carter to a broken leg and dropped 11 of 13. But the Scarlet Knights swept Seton Hall, so they’ve got that going for them.
Odds: Off the board
SETON HALL
Record: 14-17, 3-15
Coach: Kevin Willard
Star: G/F Fuquan Edwin (16.6 PPG)
Flaw: As we write this, another Seton Hall player might have sustained an injury.
Skinny: Willard simply never put the team on the court he expected to have, never good, but especially when you’re trying to change the culture.
Odds: Off the board
SOUTH FLORIDA
Record: 12-18, 3-15
Coach: Stan Heath
Star: F Victor Rudd
(12.3 PPG)
Flaw: Chemistry. Hope there is a security guard inside the locker room or these guys might try to hurt each other.
Skinny: Last year’s surprise Big East team almost won its last three games, but we haven’t seen such a selfish group since any version of the Real Housewives.
Odds: Off the board