Since Mark Pope was hired to be the next head coach of Kentucky, a series with St. John’s has been at the forefront of his mind but it hasn’t quite formulated yet.
The two team’s played last year in the CBS Sports Classic, although it was just as one-off as the Red Storm were a late replacement for UCLA, but there is nothing on the calendar for the programs to meet again.
However, Pope has a strong feeling that will change soon.
“Yes,” Pope said while appearing on Inside College Basketball with Jon Rothstein when asked if he was open to a home-and-home with the Red Storm.
Is Mark Pope open to a home-and-home series between Kentucky and St. John's in the future?https://t.co/c9JLel3odd (Apple) https://t.co/EsZxIkcHSA (Spotify)https://t.co/n2bBB3LgUj (YouTube) pic.twitter.com/axws7xjgpF
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) June 30, 2026
“We’re not there now,” he added on if the series has been discussed. “But if we keep working this way scheduling-wise with getting more flexibility, I can’t imagine that that won’t happen. I would expect that we’ll get that done sometime here in the near future.”
The Wildcats blitzed the Red Storm in the second half during its December meeting in Atlanta as those 20 minutes were one of the only times this season that Kentucky had a healthy roster available.
St. John’s has not played in Rupp Arena since the 2011-12 season while Kentucky has not played the Red Storm inside Madison Square Garden since 2000-01.
The Johnnies were not permitted to remain in the CBS Sports Classic as a full-time replacement for UCLA due to television contract rights with the venue being at The Garden this winter and the broadcast network no longer being affiliated with the Big East.
In its future non-conference schedules, St. John’s has at least one year remaining in its deal with the Players Era Festival as well as the completion of its home-and-home series with Arizona.
Previous conversations between St. John’s and Kentucky halted after plans had the Red Storm traveling to Lexington but the Wildcats could not return the game in New York the following season and needed two years to fit a trip to The Garden into its slate.
Now, it seems like both teams could have the ability to add a home-and-home series on its schedules for as early as the 2027-28 season.
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