"That game was like life and death": John Calipari makes his feelings known on heated rivalry with Rick Pitino's Louisville

John Calipari shared his relationship with St. John's coach Rick Pitino on "The Pat McAfee Show." In an X video shared on Monday, Cal revisited his Kentucky days to highlight his complex bond with the then-Louisville coach.

"This thing is so competitive, it's not like old school," he said. "When I was with Ted Owens at Kansas and Larry Brown, they would have dinner the night before with the opposing coach. They would have breakfast with the guy.

"It's just different, there is so much more. I don't want to say what's more at stake. Rick was at Louisville, I was at Kentucky. We weren't going to be friends. That game was like life and death in the state. And I tried to play it down, but it was life and death in the state."

John Calipari was not talking about a specific game against Rick Pitino but about the 2011 to 2017 stretch when he coached Louisville. The two coaches met at least once every season for the in-state rivalry game, which Cal led 6-2. Kentucky also eliminated Pitino's squad twice in the NCAA Tournament during this stretch.

While Calipari acknowledged that coaching responsibilities pit him against Pitino, he shared that he respects the Red Storm coach and likes to stay up-to-date with his strategies.

"I have always respected him, I have watched what he does and how he does it. Everywhere he has been, even when he was in Greece, he was in Iona, he gets it going. He's at St. John's, he gets it going. You have to respect it, especially the number of years he's been doing it."

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John Calipari's Arkansas eliminates Rick Pitino's St. John's from the 2025 NCAA Tournament

Arkansas shocked the college basketball world when it defeated preseason AP No. 1 Kansas 79-72 in the opening round of March Madness. John Calipari's brilliance continued when the Razorbacks faced the Red Storm on Saturday.

St. John's gave a tough fight, but Cal's unit opened the second half with an 11-2 run. Pitino's men came as close as two points in the final minutes of the game, but Arkansas held them off for a 75-66 win.

It was the first game between John Calipari and Rick Pitino since 2016.