Rick Pitino and John Calipari write a new chapter in their storied rivalry

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rick Pitino and John Calipari won’t be confused for chums. Pitino doesn’t think the two have ever even broken bread together.

They respect what each other has accomplished in the sport that has defined both of their lives. They’ve shared the court, memorably, many times. But they’ve not been particularly close in decades.

“I don’t know how long he was at Louisville before I (got to) Kentucky, but you’re not going to be friends when you’ve got those two jobs,” Calipari said Friday. “You’re not going to be enemies, but if he’s real good, you’re like, sheesh. And if we were real good, he’s probably saying, ugh. But I respect coaches that can really do this well, and if you can do it over a long, long period of time, I really respect you.

“All that goes on with what we do to sustain excellence — that means you’re really, really good at what you do. You’re great at what you do. Maybe you’re the best to ever do it.”

Pitino, 72, is definitely in that conversation, from a pure coaching standpoint. It doesn’t matter if he has fewer titles than some of college basketball’s greats or that he’s endured a few off-court scandals. He’s taken a record six different programs to the NCAA Tournament, including St. John’s this year. He’s the only coach who has ever won national championships at two different schools (Kentucky and Louisville).

On Saturday, he’ll face Calipari once again. It’ll be their fifth NCAA Tournament meeting, and their first since Pitino took over St. John’s two years ago and Calipari took over Arkansas last offseason. So, it’ll look a little strange and feel more than a bit odd. It’s the second-round matchup that Calipari predicted, conspiratorially believing that the selection committee would be unable to resist such a storyline with a trip to the Sweet 16 at stake.

However we landed here, we’ll take it. There’s not usually a ton of hype for a game…

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Publish date : 2025-03-21 22:53:00

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