01-05-2025
Rick Pitino, St. John's to face Mark Pope, Kentucky in CBS Sports Classic
Rick Pitino appears to be getting his wish of playing his former captain and program after all.
It just isn't going to take place in Lexington.
According to a report from Field of 68's Jeff Goodman, Pitino's St. John's Red Storm is replacing UCLA in this year's CBS Sports Classic, and will meet up against Mark Pope and Kentucky in the marquee non-conference showcase game. It was first reported by Dave Berov of the "Eye on the Storm" podcast.
REQUIRED READING: How does Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope's second transfer portal class rank in SEC?
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A date and time for the CBS Sports Classic between St. John's and Kentucky has not been announced. As for the location, it will be taking place at Atlanta's State Farm Arena, per Adam Zagoria.
The CBS Sports Classic also includes Ohio State and North Carolina and travels from city to city each season, just like the Champions Classic, which Kentucky also competes in.
The news that Pitino will coach against Pope, who captained the Hall of Famer's national championship team at Kentucky in 1996, comes seven months after the 2025 Naismith Coach of the Year told reporters at Big East Media Day in October that he didn't expect a home-and-home series between the two programs to happen. USA TODAY Sports Network later confirmed the report.
"I don't think it's going to happen now because they want to skip a year," Pitino originally told Zagoria and in October at Big East Media Day.
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It also comes a month after Pitino said at the Final Four that the Red Storm "may be going to Kentucky for an exhibition game' this upcoming season, according to Zagoria.
The idea of a home-and-home series between St. John's and Kentucky first surfaced in April 2024 when Pope teased the idea during his introductory news conference. Pitino accepted the series on X (formerly Twitter) less than 24 hours later. The series was supposed to start in Lexington at Rupp Arena in 2025, with the return game the following year at Madison Square Garden.
St. John's is expected to have one of the top rosters in the country in 2025-26, as Pitino brought in North Carolina guard Ian Jackson, Cincinnati forward Dillon Mitchell, Providence forward Bryce Hopkins, Arizona State guard Joson Sanon and Stanford guard Oziyah Sellers through the transfer portal this offseason. The Red Storm went 31-5 last season.
Pitino posted a 219-50 overall record in his eight seasons at Kentucky, leading the Wildcats to six NCAA Tournament berths, five SEC tournament titles, three Final Fours and a national championship title in 1996. Pope led the Wildcats to a 24-12 record in his first season, including a Sweet 16 berth in the 2025 men's NCAA Tournament.
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The CBS Sports Classic matchup between St. John's and Kentucky will be the second non-conference game that the Red Storm play against one of Pitino's former teams, as Louisville is set to travel up to Madison Square Garden this season to start a home-and-home series.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Report: Kentucky to play St. John's, Rick Pitino in CBS Sports Classic
