Two of the most polarizing coaches in college basketball — John Calipari and Rick Pitino — went head-to-head in the second round of March Madness on Saturday, and it did not disappoint. Their sideline exchange added a bit of extra flair to an already tense game.
They have a long, storied history, and Saturday's game marked the 24th college basketball meeting between the two coaches. Like Calipari's daughter Megan Rae pointed out, "It's definitely a rivalry, No matter who denies it. They had very similar career trajectory." The game was physical and brought out some hostility between the two teams and coaching staff.
Analyst and broadcaster John Fanta posted a clip of John Calipari and Rick Pitino getting into it during the game.
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"We've got some Pitino/Calipari drama!!!" he captioned the post on X.
Fans had a field day reacting to the altercation. Here are some of the best:
"The mobsters are anxious," one fan said.
"Pitino definitely has the better Mob connections," another fan said.
"Nothing better than seeing your head coach go to bat for their team. That Arkansas/St. John’s game was an absolute battle," a fan said.
Here are some more reactions from fans.
"I love these two paisans," one fan said, referring to Calipari and Pitino both being of Italian descent.
"They’re not arguing they’re just Italian," another fan said.
"I am in love with this rivalry ever since the U of L Kentucky days, it was even more electric back then," one fan said.
John Calipari vs Rick Pitino head-to-head record
John Calipari and Rick Pitino have been in the coaching profession for four decades and their paths have crossed numerous times. Their first meeting came all the way back in Dec. 1991 when Pitino was the head coach at Kentucky and Calipari was at UMass.
They have faced off against each other 30 times, including their battles in the NBA from 1997 to 1999. While Pitino was 3-0 against Calipari early in their careers, the tide has turned. The Arkansas coach is now in the lead 17-13 in their all-time head-to-head matchups (14-10 in college games).
Before the March Madness' second-round clash, they last faced each other on the court in 2016 with Pitino's Louisville beating Calipari's Kentucky 73-70. That is the only win for Pitino over Calipari in their last seven meetings dating back to 2012.
Both Calipari and Pitino are Hall of Fame coaches and have each won one national championship along with multiple conference titles.
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