Basketball legends Rick Pitino and John Calipari renew their intense rivalry as their teams, St. John's and Arkansas, face off in the NCAA Tournament.
During the spring of 1988, fresh-faced Knicks coach Rick Pitino had his hands full, but he still managed to lend a helping hand to his alma mater, University of Massachusetts, by joining their selection committee for their new men's basketball coach. Pitino recommended a young whippersnapper, John Calipari, then an assistant at the University of Pittsburgh, who was a mere 29 at the time. UMass ended up hiring Calipari for a modest $63,000 yearly salary, while Pitino allegedly footed the bill for Calipari's country club membership – a move that jump-started Calipari's career and planted the seed for a rivalry that persists today.
Fast-forward to 2025, and the men re-enact their rivalry as the No. 2 seed St. John's, under Pitino's guidance, lock horns with No. 10 seed Arkansas, coached by none other than Calipari. Arkansas clinched their spot in the West Regional second round with a thrilling 79-72 victory over No. 7 seed Kansas on Thursday night, while St. John's dominated No. 15 seed Omaha, 83-53.
As it stands, Pitino boasts an impressive 885 career victories, ranking fifth all-time among Division 1 men's coaches, while Calipari trails closely with 876 wins, tied with Adolph Rupp for eighth. Both coaches were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013 and 2015, respectively. This will be the 24th time these coaching titans face off, and history suggests Calipari might have the upper hand – he currently leads the series with a 13-10 edge over Pitino. However, their NBA encounters were a different story, with each claiming three wins apiece.
When asked about the rivalry during a press conference, Pitino downplayed the animosity, citing his dislike for Jim Calhoun during their time at Boston University and Northeastern University as his only true rivalry. He went on to clarify that his comments did not diminish his respect for Calipari. Come Saturday, the two will meet again at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I, ready to capture another chapter in their storied history.
Calipari and Pitino's First Encounter
The coaches' first head-to-head matchup took place in December 1991 when Pitino's Kentucky squad trounced UMass with a resounding 90-69 victory. Across their games, Pitino dominated with a 4-1 advantage over Calipari while at Kentucky and UMass. Calipari scored his lone victory against Pitino in November 1995 when the 7th-ranked Minutemen upset the top-ranked Wildcats by ten points in the season opener. UMass reached the number one spot in the AP poll the following month and boasted an impressive 35-1 record leading up to the Final Four faceoff against Kentucky, which ultimately ended in a Wildcats win by seven points - a victory that led them to the national championship.
Following that season, Calipari left for the Nets job, while Pitino departed for the Celtics. Several years later, both returned to college coaching, with Calipari landing at Memphis in 2000 and Pitino joining Louisville in 2001. For the next four seasons, their schools competed in the Conference USA, clashing eight times, each with four wins under their belt. Louisville moved to the Big East in 2005, temporarily halting their on-court rivalry.
However, their rivalry heated up once more when Calipari took over at Kentucky in 2009. Over the next ten encounters, Kentucky claimed eight victories, including in the 2012 Final Four and 2014 Sweet 16. The two last faced off in December 2016, with Louisville emerging as the victor in a tense 73-70 home game.
coaching changes and Recent circumstances
Ten months later, Louisville parted ways with Pitino shortly after an FBI investigation into college basketball unveiled. Although Pitino was later found innocent of any wrongdoing, he found himself an outcast, coaching in Greece for two seasons before securing another college position at Iona University in March 2020. St. John's hired Pitino two years later.
Calipari, on the other hand, terminated his relationship with Kentucky last April, completing 15 successful seasons, which included a 2012 national championship and Final Four appearances in 2011, 2014, and 2015. However, the Wildcats struggled in recent NCAA tournament appearances. Arkansas, under Calipari's guidance this season, has had a bumpy ride, with a disappointing 8-10 record in SEC games and an unranked standing since the first week of January.
Still, Arkansas proved their resilience in their opening-round game against Kansas, surging to a 11-point lead early in the second half before narrowly edging out the Jayhawks by five points at the final buzzer. Key contributors for the Razorbacks included Jonas Aidoo (22 points), Johnell Davis, D.J. Wagner, Trevon Brazile, and Boogie Fland, who returned from injury and scored six points in limited action.
According to Pitino, Arkansas possesses unprecedented size, power, and athleticism compared to his previous opponents. He speculated that if Arkansas had finished eighth or ninth in the SEC standings, he would have expressed gratitude for not being in the same conference due to the exceptional talent level.
Though St. John's encountered a slow start against Omaha in the first half, they rallied to secure a commanding 25-point victory in the second half, paving the way for their 10th consecutive win and 20th in their past 21 games. The Red Storm will descend upon the court with RJ Luis Jr. – the Big East Player of the Year – leading the charge, accompanied by double-digit scoring performances from Simeon Wilcher, Zuby Ejiofor, and Kadary Richmond.
Refraining from personal jabs, Pitino emphasized that he doesn't focus on coaches but rather the teams. To him, it's all about preparing for Calipari's players, while Calipari faces the challenge of readying his team for Pitino's squad. As the two coaches step onto the court, it's clear that their shared history and competitive spirit will fuel a captivating contest.
In 1988, Rick Pitino, fresh-faced Knicks coach, recommended John Calipari, an assistant at the University of Pittsburgh, to his alma mater, University of Massachusetts. Despite Calipari's modest $63,000 yearly salary, this move set the stage for their career trajectories and their eventual rivalry. Fast-forward to 2025, Pitino, now coaching St. John's, and Calipari leading Arkansas, face off in the West Regional second round, renewing their competitive spirit on the court. Their first head-to-head matchup took place in December 1991, with Pitino's Kentucky squad triumphing over Calipari's UMass, establishing a 4-1 advantage for Pitino in their early encounters. However, Calipari claimed his only win against Pitino in November 1995, when his 7th-ranked UMass upset the top-ranked Wildcats. Since then, their paths have been marked by mutual success, fierce competition, and the occasional shift in allegiances, culminating in their upcoming showdown at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.
