Story byThomas CavanaghFri, January 23, 2026 at 8:47 PM UTC·5 min readWhen Richard Pitino was hired as the new men’s basketball head coach at Xavier, the two games that he and his father, Rick, would coach against each other in Big East play became must-watch television. The first of those two dates has come, but it has also come with higher stakes. The elder Pitino can clinch his 900th official career win on Saturday afternoon, which could be all the more sweet if he can accomplish that while taking bragging rights over his son. If St.