The juiciest coaching matchup of the men’s 2025 NCAA Tournament has occurred 29 times before, over 23 college games and six NBA games.
But that didn’t stop the hype from building almost as soon as the March Madness bracket was released and there was the possibility a 30th meeting between John Calipari and Rick Pitino could occur this weekend in Providence, Rhode Island.
Pitino and Calipari have been compared for decades, from the time Calipari arrived on the college basketball scene at UMass while Pitino was returning Kentucky to national prominence. The two were briefly coaches in the NBA together before each came back to college basketball and wound up on opposite sides of the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry, with Calipari at the school where Pitino once coached.
They haven’t faced each other since Pitino’s time at Louisville ended unceremoniously. But Pitino’s resurgence, first at Iona and then the past two years at St. John’s, and Calipari’s revival at Arkansas this year has set up a whale of a round of 32 matchup. No. 2 seed St. John’s faces No. 10 seed Arkansas Saturday and everybody can’t help but savor what might be the last edition of Pitino vs. Calipari.
Everyone except the two men involved, of course.
“I don’t go against coaches, we go against teams,” Pitino told reporters after St. John’s beat Omaha in Thursday’s first-round game. “He doesn’t have to worry about me. My jump shot is long gone. He’s got to prepare for our team. We’ve got to prepare for his players. He’s preparing for our players. John and I don’t play one on one anymore.”
They are, however, two of the biggest faces in college basketball over the past 40 years. This will be the fifth time their teams have met in the NCAA Tournament, including two Final Four matchups and two Sweet 16 games. Here’s a breakdown of how Pitino and Calipari have fared against each other ahead of St. John’s vs. Arkansas, beginning with their first game in 1991.
Rick Pitino vs. John Calipari history: All-time series results
Calipari leads the all-times series over Pitino 16-13 overall, including 13-10 in the college ranks. Calipari has wins over Pitino as the coach at UMass and Kentucky, as well as with the NBA’s New Jersey Nets.
College games
Dec. 4, 1991: Kentucky 90, UMass 69 — Pitino wins
March 26, 1992: Kentucky 87, UMass 77 — Pitino wins*
Feb. 6, 1994: Kentucky 67, UMass 64 — Pitino wins
Nov. 28, 1995: UMass 92, Kentucky 82 — Calipari wins
March 30 1996: Kentucky 81, UMass 74 — Pitino wins**
Jan. 30, 2002: Memphis 80, Louisville 70 — Calipari wins
Feb. 19, 2003: Memphis 80, Louisville 73 — Calipari wins
March 14, 2003: Louisville 78, Memphis 75 — Pitino wins#
Feb. 4, 2004: Memphis 62, Louisville 58 — Calipari wins
Feb. 28, 2004: Louisville 66, Memphis 60 — Pitino wins
Feb. 9, 2005: Memphis 68, Louisville 65 — Calipari wins
Feb. 26, 2005: Louisville 53, Memphis 44 — Pitino wins
March 12, 2005: Louisville 75, Memphis 74 — Pitino wins^
Jan 2, 2010: Kentucky 71, Louisville 62 — Calipari wins
Dec. 31, 2010: Kentucky 78, Louisville 63 — Calipari wins
Dec. 31, 2011: Kentucky 69, Louisville 62 — Calipari wins
Dec. 29, 2012: Louisville 80, Kentucky 77 — Pitino wins
March 31, 2012: Kentucky 69, Louisville 61 — Calipari wins**
Dec. 28, 2013: Kentucky 73, Louisville 68 — Calipari wins
March 28, 2014: Kentucky 74, Louisville 69 — Calipari wins*
Dec. 27, 2014: Kentucky 58, Louisville 50 — Calipari wins
Dec. 26, 2015: Kentucky 75, Louisville 73 — Calipari wins
Dec. 21, 2016: Louisville 73, Kentucky 70 — Pitino wins
*Sweet 16**Final Four#Conference USA tournament semifinals^Conference USA tournament championship game
NBA games
Calipari and Pitino split six regular-season meetings when they overlapped as NBA coaches with the New Jersey Nets and Boston Celtics, respectively, over two seasons.
Nov. 19, 1997: Nets 108, Celtics 100 — Calipari wins
Nov. 21, 1997: Celtics 101, Nets 93 — Pitino wins
March 27, 1998: Celtics 82, Nets 76 — Pitino wins
April 8, 1998: Nets 117, Celtics 104 — Calipari wins
Feb. 27, 1999: Celtics 101, Nets 92 — Pitino wins
March 1, 1999: Nets 99, Celtics 97 — Calipari wins
How to watch St. John’s vs. Arkansas: TV channel, streaming for March Madness 2025
Date: Saturday, March 22, 2025
Time: 2:40 p.m. ET
Location: Amica Mutual Pavilion (Providence, Rhode Island)
TV: CBS
Streaming: Paramount+, Fubo
Watch St. John’s vs. Arkansas with Fubo
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