"If you put the two of us in a sumo ring I'd crush him": When former Utah HC Rick Majerus served up humor in response to Rick Pitino's Utes remarks

The late former Utah coach Rick Majerus and former Kentucky coach Rick Pitino was and is one among the top college basketball coaches. Majerus, known for his strategic mind and ability to develop players, had stops at Marquette, Ball State, Utah and Saint Louis.

During the 1996 NCAA Tournament, Majerus' Utah Utes faced Pintino's Kentucky Wildcats in the Sweet 16. In a Dec. 2012 column by John Feinstein of The Washington Post, a humorous comment by Majerus about Pitino was published. According to Feinstein, Pitino had suggested that Utah was the favorite ahead of their matchup in the Sweet 16.

However, Majerus was not buying the praise.

"If you put the two of us in a sumo ring I’d crush him. On the basketball court, I think we’re in trouble," he responded.

Rick Pitino and the Wildcats defeated the Utes, 101-70, en route to the national championship that season. Kentucky defeated Wake Forest, Massachusetts and Syracuse to win the program's sixth national title.

Meanwhile, Utah finished with a 27-7 record. They faced Pitino and Kentucky again the following season in the Elite Eight but had a similar fate, losing 72-59. Pitino left Kentucky after that season to coach the Boston Celtics.

Utah would eventually make it to the national championship game in 1998 under Majerus, only to lose to Kentucky once again.

"When I die, they might as well bury me at the finish line at Churchill Downs so they can run over me again," Majerus said after that game.

Rick Majerus once addressed Rick Pitino's medical leave at Louisville

Rick Pitino took a medical leave as the Louisville coach came back in 2004. The Hall of Fame coach was experiencing urological pain for a prolonged period and decided to go for further tests to determine the exact reason.

The news prompted Majerus, who had exited Utah on health grounds, to contemplate his own physical condition.

"He's doing the right thing," Majerus told ESPN's Pat Forde. "You get to a point where unidentified pain is the toughest thing to deal with. In the grand scheme of things, what's one more victory? ... There's no extra points given for coaching under duress. "It won't help your seed in the tourney. So he (Pitino) could win another national championship this year. I think that's important, but your health is more important. And everything medically is best when it's sooner-the-better. There's no question he's doing the right thing."

Rick Pitino returned to Louisville's sideline after two days, experiencing no major health complications, while Majerus spent four years out of coaching after leaving Utah before taking the Saint Louis job in 2007.

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Edited by Krutik Jain