THREE MEN, each with strong connections to the University of Kentucky. All three won a NCAA National Championship here, two coaching, one as a player. Today’s matchup between Arkansas and St. John’s IS ONLY SIGNIFICANT because each team is led by a man who coached the Wildcats… One most win and it will be.. Full details..

Today’s matchup between Arkansas and St. John’s carries extra weight due to the strong University of Kentucky ties of both head coaches. John Calipari, now leading St. John’s, won a national championship with Kentucky in 2012. On the other sideline, John Pelphrey, Arkansas’s interim head coach, played for Kentucky’s 1992 “Unforgettables” and later served as an assistant coach under Tubby Smith.

 

Adding to the Kentucky connection is Rick Pitino, St. John’s head coach, who led the Wildcats to the 1996 national championship before leaving for the NBA. That means three men—Calipari, Pitino, and Pelphrey—all have deep Kentucky roots and championship history with the Wildcats.

 

For Calipari and Pitino, today’s game marks a rare coaching showdown between two of Kentucky’s most famous former coaches. While Pitino has rebuilt St. John’s into a Big East contender, Calipari is looking to prove himself after parting ways with Kentucky. Meanwhile, Pelphrey, a Kentucky legend as a player, hopes to pull off a major upset.

 

One of them must win, making this more than just a regular-season matchup—it’s a battle of Wildcat legacies, fought on a different stage.