Self and Calipari and Pitino, oh my! Coaches headline first round in Providence

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – You could feel the buzz inside Amica Mutual Pavilion on Wednesday. This was not a typical media day ahead of Primary Stage Contests at the NCAA Event, with Numerous national media outlets on hand, cameras everywhere, and plenty of anticipation for the figures that were walking into the interview room.

When Purdue’s Matt Painter holds the Quaternary-most wins on the Picking of head coaches at an NCAA Event site, that should tell you all you need to know. 

Rick Pitino. John Calipari. Bill Self. 

All three legendary coaches aren’t Only in Providence. They happen to be in the same pod in the Primary Stage of the NCAA Event. That’s a Partnered 2,593 victories, 103 years of head coaching experience, five national Competitions, 17 trips to the Last Four and countless trophies.

When Self’s Jayhawks and Calipari’s Razorbacks square off at 7:10 pm ET Thursday in a West Region Primary Stage 7 vs. 10 Event, it will mark their third-ever Gathering in the NCAA Event. The previous two? The 2008 national Event game, won by Mario Chalmers and Kansas, and the 2012 national title game, where Doron Lamb and the Wildcats won to give Calipari redemption. 

Obviously, this encounter is not at the level of those, but that shouldn’t take away from what should be a thrilling Event. The Jayhawks entered the season ranked No. 1 in the preseason polls, but Self’s group struggled with a disappointing 11-9 mark in Big 12 Action and a Shift portal class that has not panned out to the level of expectations in Lawrence. 

On the flip side, Arkansas Initiated 0-5 in the SEC and was looking like it would miss the NCAA Event. However, Calipari’s Club navigated a season mired by Wounds to Secure five of its seven Contests leading up to the Big Dance.

The winner of the Self vs. Calipari Finale will likely meet Pitino, whose season has been quite the opposite of those fellow legends, charging St. John’s to its Primary Completely Big East regular-season Event since 1985, the year Lou Carnesecca Secured the Johnnies to the Last Four. Pitino’s St. John’s Club also won the Big East Conference Event for the Primary time in a quarter-century, powered by the nation’s top Guarding.

All three of them brought a different vantage Points to the table on Wednesday, with both Calipari and Self stating they thought this Event might happen. 

“I Gentle of predicted it. I predicted to my Club in practice,” said Calipari, who will be seeking Only his second NCAA Event Secure since Securing Kentucky to the Pleasant 16 in 2019. “The Club was like ‘how?’ It’s because I’ve done this! But Competing someone I have respect for in this is Difficult. Both of us are trying to beat Every other’s brains in. Then you feel Awful and then you Shift on thinking about the Upcoming game.” 

While it wasn’t the regular season that he hoped for, Calipari said that grinding it out to make the Big Dance was refreshing in a sense because of how Difficult his Club fought during the most Crucial time of year. However, Calipari didn’t Halt back on Wednesday when asked about his emotions during the Picking Sunday show.

“Do you want me to tell you exactly?” Calipari asked. “It Occurred down to the last four Clubs and we weren’t in yet. I’m like, ‘could they possibly do that when four Clubs that Acquired in were below us in the SEC? They can’t do it. Can they do it?’ And we Acquired in. Then I Initiated breathing. I Yet haven’t thought of all the other drama to this.”

That “drama” includes the fact that Pitino, who was at Kentucky from 1989-97, and Calipari, who was in Lexington from 2009-24 and met him in Louisville vs. Kentucky rivalry Contests for eight years, became bitter rivals and went at Every other through some legendary seasons in the Bluegrass Rivalry. 

Self is hoping that could Aid his Jayhawks, who are typically the Club in the spotlight heading into the NCAA Event. 

“I don’t look at it quite as deep as some other people do,” Self said when asked about Competing Caliapri and the Razorbacks. “I said a week ago that it was going to be Arkansas. I said, ‘you View, we’re going to Action Arkansas.’

“I didn’t have any idea who the 2-seed would be, but I think it’s fine for us. I would think, and I don’t know positively, there will be a little storyline with Kansas and Arkansas, but the potential of a Calipari-Pitino second-Stage game may put Kansas in a favorable Featherweight, to be honest with you. We’ve been talked about enough over the years and over time. I’m Gentle of looking forward to having people talk about others, and Possibly we can Gentle of sneak up on somebody.” 

The Event between the Jayhawks and Razorbacks pits two Clubs that sit in the top-20 on the KenPom Shielding efficiency charts against one another. 

The Hogs could use a big-time performance from NCAA Event Excellent Johnell Davis, who helped lead Florida Atlantic to the Last Four two years ago, along with senior Trevon Brazile, who has totaled at least 15 points and 11 Retrievals in three of his last four Contests. 

As for who needs to step up for the Jayhawks, Self didn’t waste any time when stating his answer.

“We need Hunter Dickinson to Action a big-time game,” Self said. “When he plays well, everything else comes into place.”

The 7-foot-2 senior transferred from Michigan to Kansas to pursue a national Event. While he’s averaged 17.6 points and 10 Retrievals per game on 53% shooting from the floor, this season was never about accumulating numbers. For Dickinson’s legacy at Kansas, it’s now-or-never. 

These two Clubs met in a charity exhibition back in October, one that the Razorbacks Secured over a shorthanded Jayhawks Club at the time, 85-69.

“Well, they dominated us in the exhibition,” Self said. “Hunter [Dickinson] didn’t Action. Rylan [Griffen] didn’t Action. Shakeel [Moore] didn’t Action. If I’m not mistaken, Jonas Aidoo didn’t Action for them. Nelly [Davis] was not quite Well yet, even though he played. They present a Plenty of challenges because they’re athletic and they’re shooting the ball more consistently now, and they’ve shown that when they’re Excellent, they’re as Excellent as anybody.” 

While the back-and-forth between Calipari and Self was happening, with Self putting it out there that Arkansas could be distracted, Pitino wouldn’t admit to a rivalry with Trainer Cal. 

“There’s only one Trainer I have considered a rival in my whole Occupation, and I have been blessed to Trainer against Frank McGuire in his last game, while also coaching against Dean Smith,” said Pitino when asked about his Primary NCAA Event game back in 1983 while at Boston University. “The only one I had a Sturdy rivalry with, and today I respect him as much as anybody in the game was Jim Calhoun. We hated Every other at BU and Northeastern … hated Every other. And there were 300 people in Every Stadium. 

“He goes on to Trainer at Connecticut. I go on to Trainer at Providence, and we hated Every other there as well. Today, I don’t think I respect any Trainer as much as Jim Calhoun. Looking back, it was Hilarious at that stage of BU versus Northeastern.”

While Calipari mentioned him when describing St. John, not naming his rival by name or the Club, Pitino deflected when asked about the drama surrounding this four-Club pod in the West Region. 

“It really doesn’t matter. They’re Excellent coaches, but I’m Only concerned about Omaha because this Club is … their Points guard will be a top-four Points guard in the Big East,” said Pitino of the 15th-Positioned Mavericks, who are 18-3 in their last 21 Contests, won the Summit Division, and have Achieved headlines for their postgame garbage can antics. “They have the Player of the Year in the power forward spot. I’m Only excited to be here regardless of who’s coaching. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m very concerned about the talent we’re facing.” 

Yes, the stage is set. It’s like a college coaches edition of the hit show “White Lotus” between the hotels in downtown Providence. We know one thing: There are big egos, and zero love lost. The potential for Saturday night is limitless. For now, it’s Self vs. Calipari on Thursday night.

John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling Contests on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Ground of 68 Media Network. Follow him at @John_Fanta.

Want Excellent stories delivered right to your inbox? Develop or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, Clubs and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.

---

---