From the moment Mark Pope was hired as the new head coach of Kentucky men’s basketball in April, there has been plenty of talk from both sides surrounding a home-and-home series between the Wildcats and Rick Pitino‘s St. John’s squad.
The original idea was to play the first game in Rupp Arena next season (2025-26), which coincides with the 30-year anniversary of Kentucky’s 1996 national title. Pitino was the coach of UK during that championship run while Pope served as a team captain. The following season (2026-27), Kentucky would return the favor and play St. John’s in New York City (either at Madison Square Garden or Arthur Ashe Stadium).
Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts, Pitino says the series is no longer on the table.
“I don’t think it’s going to happen now because (Kentucky wants) to skip a year,” Pitino said during Tuesday’s Big East Media Day, according to NJ Advance Media. A source confirmed to NJ Advance Media that Kentucky already has “too many commitments” in place for the 2026-27 schedule, making a trip to NYC unlikely.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that Kentucky and St. John’s won’t play each other at some point in the coming years, just that this particular plan of a home-and-home series is off. There was a verbal agreement, but nothing was ever officially signed. Personally, it would shock me if Pitino doesn’t find a way to coach against Pope in Rupp Arena at least once before he retires.
