For a fleeting couple of days, New York college basketball was on fire. The St. John’s Red Storm trounced Omaha to make it to the Round of 32. Even though they might’ve lost against John Calipari and his Razorbacks, Rick Pitino’s team sent a solid message to the rest of the Big East–they aren’t here to mess around, they’re here to win.

And with the experience of Pitino behind them, St. John’s is moving towards their latest challenge: the CBS Sports Classic. UCLA opted out, and the Red Storm is taking their place in a battle against Kentucky! However, according to analysts and reporters, their place in this showdown wasn’t warranted.

On the show Locked On College Basketball, host Andy Patton discussed why St. John’s is only the correct choice if the criteria is recent success. “They have had some great success in kind of pockets of time, but overall their history does not hold up to certainly North Carolina or Kentucky for that matter.” He said, pointing out how a lack of championships sets the program back in comparison to its competition.

Patton went on to talk about his own to add to the program: Kansas and Villanova. Even though the Kevin Willard-led Wildcats are going through a transitional phase, and Bill Self has had his fair share of struggles with the Jayhawks, Patton argued that Bill Self’s team still deserved a spot over Rick Pitino and his Red Storm.

“Kansas is the obvious choice in terms of success, historic success and recent success, national championships, consistency, all that.” He said, and it makes sense! It hasn’t been long since Bill Self’s last natty. Even though they haven’t been great for the last couple of years, not making it past the first weekend of March Madness, their legacy would definitely carry them forward.

But while Rick Pitino is around, the St. John’s program is one to be reckoned with! Their matchup against the Kentucky Wildcats has a lot of history behind it. The two head coaches go way back, but what’s the report from Pitino about this CBS showdown? Let’s find out!

Rick Pitino excited to battle it out against former captain

Who can forget Rick Pitino’s tenure as the Wildcats head coach? After all, he brought them a natty in 1996, but there is a deeper bond between him and the current head coach, Mark Pope. Way back when Pitino was still in Lexington, he put his faith in a big man on his team– Pope.

Ever since Pope took over as Kentucky head coach, and Pitino battled it out with the Red Storm, the two have been trying to make a game happen. Lo and behold! CBS came through clutch. On December 20th, 2025, Kentucky and St. John’s will be facing off in the CBS Sports Classic, and fans can’t wait.

Neither can Pitino, apparently, as he shared his excitement for the matchup. “Obviously, Kentucky was Camelot for me.” He said. “I’ve said it many times. So now to play against The Captain, who made so many special moments for me and the team, in a battle that CBS is putting on is quite special. I will remember it for a long, long time.”

Now, the question is whether Pitino can work his Merlinian magic against Kentucky, or if Pope has got the answer to his former coach.