Mark Pope comments on potential Arkansas-St John's matchup in men's NCAA Tournament
The second round of the men's NCAA Tournament could be a potential reunion between former Kentucky men's basketball coaches.
In the first round of March Madness, John Calipari and No. 10 Arkansas will take on No. 7 Kansas. In the same bracket, Rick Pitino and No. 2 St. John's take on No. 15 Ohama. That sets up a potential matchup between the two former Kentucky coaches in the second round.
Calipari left the Wildcats after a 15-year tenure that ended with a first-round exit during the 2024 NCAA Tournament. He led them to a national championship in 2012. Pitino coached Kentucky from 1989-1997, which included a 1996 national championship. Pitino also coached at Louisville from 2001-2017.
After Kentucky was selected as a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, first-year coach Mark Pope was asked about a potential matchup between Calipari and Pitino, and he shared his thoughts. Pope played on Pitino's 1996 national championship team.
"Listen, if I know anything about Coach P, he wants all the smoke, man. He wants all the smoke. Bring it!" Pope said. "It's so competitive. Every single round is so competitive. Every single team, whether there's a 16 by your name or a one, these are all championship-caliber teams. And so, at the end of the day, probably the names don't matter that much.
"It's like everybody's fighting for their life, and that's why the NCAA Tournament is so beautiful. It's the greatest sporting event in the world."
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Mark Pope on possible NCAA Tournament game between Arkansas-St John's
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