UK basketball’s Mark Pope previews game vs St. John’s, Rick Pitino
Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope talks about the upcoming game against St. John’s and former Wildcats coach Rick Pitino on Dec. 20.
- Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope will face his mentor, St. John’s coach Rick Pitino, for the second time in his career.
- Pitino holds an 18-4 record against his former players who have become head coaches.
- The game between Kentucky (7-4) and St. John’s (7-3) is part of the CBS Sports Classic, held this year at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
ATLANTA — Today isn’t the first time Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope has faced his mentor, Rick Pitino. During Pope’s first season as a college coach, he led his Utah Valley team into the Derby City to take on Pitino’s Louisville club.
As one might expect given the disparity between those two programs, the Cardinals had no issues rebuffing the Wolves, as UofL rolled to a 98-68 victory at the KFC Yum! Center on Dec. 23, 2015.
Now, Pope gets his second crack at Pitino, whom he played for at UK when the latter guided the program.
“We have one job, and only one job: That’s to go win,” Pope said during a news conference Thursday. “All of my emotions toward coach (Pitino), they’re all focused in exactly the same direction. So, I love him and we’re going to go try and beat him. He’s one of the best all-time coaches in the history of college basketball.”
Stream Kentucky vs. St. John’s
The Hall of Famer also hasn’t made a habit of losing to the men he once tutored: Pitino is 18-4 in games against his former players. (Three of the four victories by his ex-players occurred when Pitino was at Iona.) Despite what the accomplishment might mean to him on a personal level, Pope downplayed the topic of besting Pitino.
“For sure, I’d love to beat him — like I’d love to beat the next coach I play against,” Pope said. “But this is really important for our team and our program that we continue to grow and evolve as a team and understand who we are.”
Will Kentucky (7-4) topple one of the greatest coaches in its illustrious history? Or will St. John’s (7-3) lift Pitino to a triumph over his former employer?
Here’s what to know about the Wildcats’ matchup with the Red Storm in the CBS Sports Classic today at State Farm Arena in Atlanta:
UK and St. John’s are slated to tip off at 12:30 p.m. today at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
- Oct. 17: Blue-White game (Click here to read takeaways from the intrasquad scrimmage.)
- Oct. 24: exhibition vs. Purdue (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 78, Purdue 65
- Oct. 30: exhibition vs. Georgetown University (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Georgetown 84, Kentucky 70
- Nov. 4: Nicholls (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 77, Nicholls 51
- Nov. 7: Valparaiso (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 107, Valparaiso 59
- Nov. 11: at Louisville (KFC Yum! Center) | SCORE: Louisville 96, Kentucky 88
- Nov. 14: Eastern Illinois (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 99, Eastern Illinois 53
- Nov. 18: vs. Michigan State (Champions Classic; Madison Square Garden, New York) | SCORE: Michigan State 83, Kentucky 66
- Nov. 21: Loyola University Maryland (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 88, Loyola Maryland 46
- Nov. 26: Tennessee Tech (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 104, Tennessee Tech 54
- Dec. 2: North Carolina (Rupp Arena; ACC/SEC Challenge) | SCORE: North Carolina 67, Kentucky 64
- Dec. 5: vs. Gonzaga (Bridgestone Arena; Nashville) | SCORE: Gonzaga 94, Kentucky 59
- Dec. 9: North Carolina Central (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 103, North Carolina Central 67
- Dec. 13: Indiana (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 72, Indiana 60
- Dec. 20: vs. St. John’s (CBS Sports Classic; State Farm Arena, Atlanta), 12:30 p.m.
- Dec. 23: Bellarmine (Rupp Arena), 1 p.m.
- Jan. 3: at Alabama, noon
- Jan. 7: Missouri (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m.
- Jan. 10: Mississippi State (Rupp Arena), 8:30 p.m.
- Jan. 14: at LSU, 7 p.m.
- Jan. 17: at Tennessee, noon
- Jan. 21: Texas (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m.
- Jan. 24: Ole Miss (Rupp Arena), noon
- Jan. 27: at Vanderbilt, 9 p.m.
- Jan. 31: at Arkansas, 6:30 p.m.
- Feb. 4: Oklahoma (Rupp Arena), 9 p.m.
- Feb. 7: Tennessee (Rupp Arena), 8:30 p.m.
- Feb. 14: at Florida, 3 p.m.
- Feb. 17: Georgia (Rupp Arena), 9 p.m.
- Feb. 21: at Auburn, 8:30 p.m.
- Feb. 24: at South Carolina, 7 p.m.
- Feb. 28: Vanderbilt (Rupp Arena), 2 p.m.
- March 3: at Texas A&M, 7 p.m.
- March 7: Florida (Rupp Arena), 4 p.m.
Record: 7-4
Betting odds: Kentucky is a 3 ½-point underdog (-112) on DraftKings, which set the over/under at 155 ½ points (-105). The money line odds are St. John’s -170, Kentucky +142.
St. John’s 77, Kentucky 74: The raw numbers (more rebounds and assists per game, fewer turnovers committed) favor Kentucky. The advanced analytics (adjusted offense and defensive efficiency) lean in St. John’s direction. But Pitino’s club, ironically enough, finds itself in a similar position as Kentucky last week: The Red Storm has yet to win a Quad 1 game, falling in all three matchups it’s had this season; the Wildcats were 0-4 prior in such contests prior to their win over Indiana. In that sense, at least, today’s game is more important for St. John’s. Of course, this game is far more than just numbers and records. Getting the better of Pitino would mean the world to Pope. Emotions will run high for Pitino as well, particularly given his fondness for UK even before Pope’s hire. Expect today to be a nail biter, with double-digit lead changes and multiple ties. Ultimately, the man who’s won nearly 900 games as a college coach gets the nod here.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
