Kentucky adds historic matchup with Rick Pitino, and it’s already the game of the year

Kentucky is Camelot for Rick Pitino; he’s said it many times and reiterated it in a statement on Thursday when it was announced that his St. John’s Red Storm would face Mark Pope’s Kentucky Wildcats in the 2025 CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta on December 20. For Big Blue Nation, Rick Pitino has been many things, but now at 72 years old, he’s almost universally beloved. 

He’s found closure with the program, even returning to an ovation at Rupp Arena as a surprising guest for Kentucky’s Big Blue Madness in October. So, with Pitino nearing the end of his legendary career (while still competing at the highest level of the sport), he and his former team captain will face off in the 30th anniversary season of their 1995-96 national championship. 

Kentucky vs St. John’s set for 2025 CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta

College basketball has put a lot of effort into creating big-time regular-season showdowns to grab a bit of the national spotlight for itself before the entire country finally turns its attention in March. Even with a Thanksgiving matchup between Duke and John Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks, Kentucky vs Rick Pitino is already a lock for game of the year. 

Despite losing the core of its roster after falling to Coach Cal in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, St. John’s has reloaded through the transfer portal and should be favored to defend its Big East Title. With the addition of Providence transfer Bryce Hopkins and the return of former New York five-star Ian Jackson, who spent his freshman season at North Carolina, to the Big Apple, Pitino’s group could have its sights set on a Final Four run in 2026. Back in Camelot, Pope should have similar aspirations heading into the season. 

This offseason, Pope didn’t have to start entirely from scratch, instead supplementing returning star Otega Oweh (who is testing the NBA Draft waters but is likely to use his final season of eligibility at Kentucky) with major portal acquisitions. On paper, Kentucky’s roster, like the Johnnies, looks capable of competing for a national title, 30 years after Pitino and Pope won theirs together. 

Around Christmas, the sports world is locked into the final stretch of the NFL regular season and the College Football Playoff, but on December 20, college basketball will steal the spotlight with its biggest game of the regular season. And from the sound of it, Pitino and Pope couldn’t be happier to find themselves in the middle of it.