Rick Pitino made the trip to Cleveland to be a supportive papa for his son Richard's matchup in the NCAA tournament ... but a heartwarming moment was derailed by someone else in the crowd.
The 72-year-old was all smiles when cameras panned to him cheering on the New Mexico Lobos in their contest with the No. 2 ranked Michigan Spartans in the round of 32 ... which was cool to see especially after Rick's St. John's squad was upset by Arkansas a day prior.