Rick Pitino vs. Bill Self record: Inside the head-to-head matchups, rings and more about St. John's, Kansas coaches

Rick Pitino and Bill Self are two of the longest tenured coaches in college basketball. Pitino got his start as an assistant at Hawaii in 1974, while Self began as an assistant at Kansas in 1985.

Pitino has gone on to be the head coach for five different schools and two NBA teams. He has been the head coach for Providence (1985-1987), Kentucky (1989-1997), Louisville (2001-2017), Iona (2020-2023) and St. John's (2023 to present), with stops with the New York Knicks (1987-1989) and Boston Celtics (1997-2001) along the way.

Self's first head coaching gig came in 1993 when he joined Oral Roberts. After coaching there until 1997, he moved on to Tulsa (1997-2000), Illinois (2000-2003), and Kansas (2003 to present), having never been wooed to coach in the NBA.

Probably the most surprising thing about the two coaching resumes of Pitino and Self, given how extensive they are, is how infrequently the two have coached against each other. Ahead of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, Pitino and Self have coached against each other just one time. 

Here is more on the career comparison between Pitino and Self, including their head-to-head record. 

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Rick Pitino vs. Bill Self head-to-head record

Pitino and Self are two of the longest tenured head coaches in college basketball. It may come as a shock, but the two have only coached each other once. The lone matchup came on November 28, 2021, as part of the ESPN Events Invitational. Pitino was the head coach at Iona, and Self was with Kansas.

The Jayhawks went on to win the game 96-83, improving to 5-1 on the season while Iona dropped to 6-2. Kansas finished that season 25-6 but went on to win the Big 12 Conference Tournament. The Jayhawks went on a run in the 2022 NCAA Tournament and ultimately cut down the nets after a 72-69 win over North Carolina. Iona ended the regular season 25-6 and accepted an invite to the NIT. The Gaels lost to Florida 79-74 in the first round. 

Kansas went into halftime up 46-31. Iona made some key adjustments during the break and actually outscored Kansas 52-50 in the second half. While the Gaels attempted a comeback, the Jayhawks maintained their lead throughout the second half, winning by 13 points. 

Kansas' top scorer in the win was Christian Braun. He played 34 minutes and had 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Ochai Agbaji had 17 points and David McCormack had 13 points in the victory. 

Both Tyson Jolly and Ryan Myers had 14 points for Iona in the loss, but Myers performance came off the bench. Walter Clayton Jr. scored 13 points off the bench as a freshman. He played two seasons for Iona before transferring to Florida where he finished his collegiate career. 

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Rick Pitino vs. Bill Self March Madness head-to-head record

Despite Pitino and Self both having extensive coaching careers, they have only met once in their tenure ahead of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. It was in the regular season, and so the 2026 matchup will be the first time Pitino and Self have coached against each other in the postseason. 

SN AWARDS: All-America team | Player of the Year | Coach of the Year

Rick Pitino vs. Bill Self career records

Pitino has been a basketball coach since 1974, while Self entered the coaching ranks in 1985. Pitino has been the head coach at five different schools, spanning 37 seasons. Self has been the head coach for four schools for a total of 32 seasons. 

The St. John's head coach has a career coaching record of 790-314 for a winning percentage of .716. It is worth noting that Pitino has 123 wins and three more losses that should be with his record, but they were vacated due to a recruiting violation scandal. Self has a career coaching record of 841-272 for a career winning percentage of .756. 

Pitino has made the NCAA Tournament 25 times, while Self has led his squad to the NCAA Tournament 27 times. Pitino has a career 55-22 record in the NCAA Tournament, while Self is 52-23. 

The St. John's head coach does have two stints coaching in the NBA, first with the Knicks for two years (1987-1989) and then the Celtics for four years (1997-2001). 

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Rick Pitino vs. Bill Self NCAA championships

Pitino has won two national championships in his coaching career, but only one of them is recognized. He and the Kentucky Wildcats won the 1996 national championship, and that victory is still recognized. Due to the result of the 2013 recruiting violation scandal, Pitino and Louisville were forced to vacate all wins from their national championship run, and their win is no longer recognized. 

Self has two national championships, both with Kansas. The Jayhawks cut down the nets in 2008 and then again in 2022.