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.

The touching gesture isn't what was the focus on social media, though ... as some folks admitted they didn't even realize a Hall of Fame coach was in the shot!!

Unfortunately for the horny college basketball fans, they likely won't see the mystery woman on their screens in the foreseeable future. The Spartans defeated the Lobos in a 71-63 victory, ending New Mexico's 2024-25 campaign.

It was a rough 48 hours for the Pitino family ... as Rick lost to longtime rival John Calipari, who is once again back in the Sweet 16 with the Razorbacks.

Despite online talk of the tournament not having enough memorable moments on the court, it's safe to say that's not the case for the action in the crowd.