Mark Pope's first year at the helm as the Kentucky Wildcats head coach can definitely be considered a success. After years of disappointing NCAA Tournament performances under previous head coach John Calipari, Pope took an injury-riddled Wildcats team to the second weekend, falling to Tennessee in the Sweet 16. In his sophomore season in Lexington, he can best his predecessor in the CBS Sports Classic in a showdown with another Kentucky legend, Rick Pitino.
The fact that Pope was able to have success in a historically strong SEC is a good start to his tenure at his alma mater, but the Sweet 16 loss and the fact that Kentucky let Calipari return to Rupp Arena and win with Arkansas in February were sour notes on that year. Kentucky will have another chance for Pope to distinguish himself during the 2025-26 season in the showcase matchup with Pitino, the longtime Wildcats coach.
Mark Pope can make an instant impact at Kentucky by beating Rick Pitino, St. John's
The CBS Sports Classic has been an annual event, similar to the Champions Classic, where Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio State and UCLA face off in a one-day doubleheader that rotates venues across the country. The Bruins will not participate in the 2025 edition of the event, opening the door for Rick Pitino and St. John's to draw in against Kentucky on Dec. 20 in Atlanta.
The matchup is a big one for Wildcats' lore as Pitino has been actively trying to schedule Kentucky since getting back into the college basketball world with Iona in 2020. This contest will take place almost 30 years after Pitino won his lone championship at Kentucky, where Pope was a key player on the title-winning squad.
St. John's has been very busy in the transfer portal, loading up with talent like Bryce Hopkins and Ian Jackson to build a team that should be a national title contender. If Pope can beat Pitino in a spot like that, it will instantly enhance his credibility with Kentucky fans and push the program further away from the disappointing way the Calipari era ended.