Rick Pitino did not mention John Calipari as one of his “rivals” in the coaching profession, only the legendary UConn head coach Jim Calhoun, but there is no love lost between the two and they could be coaching against each other again this weekend.
In fact, Calipari predicted to his team what other schools would be alongside Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament, and he was correct.
“I kind of predicted it. I predicted to my team in practice, here's what they're going to do to us,” he said during his media session on Wednesday in Providence.
“I said [St. John’s] would be the two, if we come out ten, they told me who the sevens were. I said we'll play Kansas. And if we're the two, it'll be [Rick Pitino].”
The only thing that didn’t come true for Calipari was his prediction on where the games would be played. He was convinced his team would be playing in Rupp Arena – the home of the Kentucky Wildcats – in Lexington.
“Somebody must have been sick and went to the bathroom or something for them not the put us there.”
Rick Pitino has expressed quite a different tone when asked about the three Hall of Fame coaches in one site for the NCAA Tournament both on Selection Sunday and while in Rhode Island.
“It really doesn’t matter,” Pitino said about Bill Self and John Calipari joining him in the Providence pod. “They’re great coaches, but I’m just concerned about Omaha.”
The winner of Kansas vs. Arkansas and St. John’s vs. Omaha will battle on Saturday night for the right to advance to the Sweet 16 next weekend in San Francisco.
“I’m just excited to be here regardless of who’s coaching. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m very concerned about the talent we’re facing.”
The four schools will get the national broadcast on CBS with the Jayhawks and Razorbacks tipping off at 7:10 p.m. ET with the Red Storm and Mavericks beginning approximately 35 minutes after the completion of the first game.