Rick Pitino tried to downplay the matchups he and John Calipari had back in the day. He knew there was a chance he’d face off against a coach he knows all too well in the NCAA Tournament this year. Now he can’t avoid it.
Pitino and his St. John’s squad will play Calipari and his Arkansas team in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, setting up another marquee coaching matchup for Calipari. He already knocked off Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks in the first round.
While Pitino tried to undersell a rivalry between the two coaches, we all know there’s at least something between the two coaches. The last time the two coaches met in the NCAA Tournament was back in 2014 when Calipari’s Kentucky squad knocked off Pitino’s Louisville squad.
Pitino will have a shot at getting back at Calipari. But aside from their NCAA Tournament matchups, who’s the more dominant coach in a clash between two of college basketball’s most iconic coaches?
Pitino vs. Calipari: Which coach has the edge in the heated rivalry between iconic college basketball coaches?
This will be the fifth time the two coaches will meet in the NCAA Tournament, dating back to the 1992 season. Pitino’s last win over Calipari in the NCAA Tournament was in 1996 when Pitino coached at Kentucky. Calipari went on to beat Pitino twice once Pitino moved to in-state rival Louisville and Calipari took over the Wildcats.
Saturday’s game will be the first time in the series neither coach will be at Kentucky when they play.
NCAA Tournament matchups between John Calipari and Rick Pitino
Year | Round | Result | Winning Coach |
|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Sweet 16 | Kentucky 74, Louisville 69 | Calipari |
2012 | Final Four | Kentucky 69, Louisville 61 | Calipari |
1996 | Final Four | Kentucky 81, UMass 74 | Pitino |
1992 | Sweet 16 | Kentucky 87, UMass 77 | Pitino |
In terms of the all-time head-to-head matchups, Calipari has the edge with a 13-10 record against Pitino. Though this season looks like it might be the year Pitino breaks the postseason tie.
St. John’s is having a historic season and throttled Omaha 83-53 to reach the Round of 32. It was the Red Storm’s first NCAA Tournament win since 2000 and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019.
The Red Storm hold the NCAA record for most NCAA Tournament appearances without a championship. That’s significant because they brought in a two-time national champion – though Louisville’s 2013 title was vacated for NCAA violations – to end that streak.
Pitino has the pressure to have a whole lot of success with the Red Storm and this year seems as good as any to do that. First, he’ll have to go against a coach that’s looking for his third straight win over Pitino in the NCAA Tournament.
He can downplay it all he wants, but Pitino knows there’s something between him and Calipari. Especially when Calipari has had a hand in keeping him from winning more championships.