Kentucky coach Mark Pope will lead his resurgent Wildcats team to Atlanta to face the No. 22 St. John’s Red Storm in the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday. Pope will face his former coach, Rick Pitino, for the second time in his career in what is a crucial game for both teams.
Pope and Pitino share a storied relationship as the former captained the latter’s national championship-winning team in 1996.
Bruce Pearl Predicts Mark Pope To Bear the Brunt of the Emotional Game
During an appearance on Thursday’s segment of the “CBS Sports College Basketball” show, former Auburn Tigers coach Bruce Pearl predicted that the emotions of the game would affect Pope more than they would Pitino.
“There will be a lot of emotions before the game, and there will be a lot of emotions after the game,” Pearl said. “But once the game starts, even the preparation leading to the game, the X’s and O’s, the things that both coaches think that they needed to do, to prepare their teams to be successful, it won’t feel any different. But there is emotion.
“Rick will know many of the people in the crowd. But he’s already gone through that because he experienced it when he was at Louisville. He’s been down that road before. I think it will be most unique for Mark, because he’s not coached as many games as Pitino and going up against his old mentor, that’ll feel a little different.”
Pitino revealed that he would have dinner with Pope and members of the 1996 national championship-winning roster on the day before the game, further adding an emotional layer to the intriguing clash in Atlanta on Saturday.
Pope Confident of Handling Emotions of Pitino Clash
For his part, during his weekly news conference, Pope was confident that he could effectively juggle the emotions of facing his former coach and still wanting to beat him on Saturday.
“Coach called me after Michigan State and told me to get my act together,” Pope said. “I don’t know. I don’t think I’ll juggle them at all. Like, we have one job, and only one job, and that’s to go win. And they’re not actually, all of my emotions towards Coach, they’re all focused in exactly the same direction.
“So I love him, and so we’re going to go try and beat him. And he’s one of the best all-time coaches in the history of college basketball, so we’re going to try and go beat him. And, I mean, it’s all the same. Like, it all kind of leads to the same end desire,” Pope said.
The only time Pope coached against Pitino in 2015, his Utah Valley team was beaten by 30 points by his former coach’s Louisville Cardinals. Pope will also be swimming against the current on Saturday since Pitino’s record while coaching against his former players stands at a formidable 18-4.
