Defiant Rick Pitino insists he did nothing wrong — and wants back in

FILE - In this Oct. 20, 2016, file photo, Louisville coach Rick Pitino reacts to a question during an NCAA college basketball press conference in Louisville, Ky. Louisville must vacate its 2013 men’s basketball title following an NCAA appeals panel’s decision to uphold sanctions against the men’s program for violations committed in a sex scandal. The Cardinals will have to vacate 123 victories including the championship, and return millions in postseason revenue. The decision announced on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018, by the governing body’s Infraction Appeals Committee ruled that the NCAA has the authority to take away championships for what it considers major rule violations. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File) Miami • When the NCAA basketball tournament games tipped off last Thursday, Rick Pitino was sitting in a lounge chair on the patio of his palatial, waterfront home on a tiny island dubbed the "billionaire bunker." He'd just finished a round of golf. His son, owner of a margarita salt company, watched the early games with him but left in the afternoon because his children were in the school play, "Mary Poppins." Pitino's wife went, too, leaving him alone at home, where he watched the late games in bed.

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