At his introductory press conference last April, new Kentucky head coach Mark Pope hinted at a potential non-conference clash with his former mentor Rick Pitino and St. John’s. While Pitino expressed interest online, the two programs initially couldn’t finalize a home-and-home agreement, leaving the matchup uncertain—until now.
According to Dave Berov of the Eye of the Storm Podcast, St. John’s will now replace UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic, setting up a showdown with Kentucky on Saturday, December 20, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The other game in the annual doubleheader will feature North Carolina vs. Ohio State, continuing their long-standing participation in the event since 2014.
The matchup was officially confirmed on Thursday with both teams posting a video of a FaceTime call between Pitino and Pope on their social media channels.
Both squads could enter the December game ranked in the top 10. Kentucky returns top scorer and All-SEC guard Otega Oweh, and adds top-30 recruits Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno, along with standout transfers like Jaland Lowe (Pitt), Jayden Quaintance (Arizona State), and Florida’s Denzel Aberdeen.
This will mark the 17th meeting between the two programs, with Kentucky leading the all-time series 11-5. Their last encounter was in 2011, when Kentucky—led by Anthony Davis—defeated St. John’s 81-59 at Rupp Arena.
The CBS Sports Classic doubleheader will air on CBS, with tip-off times to be announced. Tickets will be available starting in August at cbssportsclassic.com/tickets.
Leave a Reply