St. John's to meet Kentucky in CBS Classic next season

Field Level Media|published: 05/01/2025, 1:17pm EDT

Mar 22, 2025; Providence, RI, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino reacts during the second half of a second round men’s NCAA Tournament game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

A familiar face awaits Kentucky in the CBS Classic, scheduled for Dec. 20 in Atlanta.

Kentucky drew St. John's and Rick Pitino, who coached in Lexington from 1989 to 1997 with three Final Four trips and a national championship in 1996. One of the players on the roster was current Kentucky coach Mark Pope.

"I've been trying to get this game for more than a year," Pope said in a statement confirming the event Thursday. "This is a perfect scenario. It's the 30th anniversary of Coach Pitino's first championship -- and my only one. Thirty years ago, Rick Pitino led BBN back to national prominence. Thirty years later, he's led the Johnnies back to the top in New York."

Pitino and St. John's won the Big East championship and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Red Storm finished 31-5.

"Obviously, Kentucky was Camelot for me, I've said it many times," Pitino said in a statement. "So now to play against The Captain [Mark Pope], who made so many special moments for me and the team, in a battle that CBS is putting on is quite special. I will remember it for a long, long time."

Pope led the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament in March. Kentucky (24-12) lost in the Sweet 16 to Tennessee, ending his first season on the job since replacing John Calipari.

UCLA bowed out of the annual basketball showcase that also includes Ohio State and North Carolina.

The Wildcats remain part of the Champions Classic, the annual event also featuring Duke, Michigan State and Kansas, played every November.

Pitino last coached against Kentucky as head coach at Louisville in 2016.

--Field Level Media