Calipari, Pitino discuss relationship ahead of NCAA matchup - ESPN

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rick Pitino vs. John Calipari, Round 5. It's on.

The two decorated, animated coaches will be center stage when Pitino leads No. 2 seed St. John's against Calipari and No. 10 Arkansas in the second round of the men's NCAA basketball tournament Saturday at Amica Mutual Pavilion.

Mutual respect? Absolutely.

A friendship? Not so fast.

«I certainly have great respect for him, but we're not really close. Everybody tried to talk that way,» Pitino said Friday, the day after St. John's overcame early jitters against No. 15 seed Omaha before pulling away with a dominant second half to win by 30 and set up the matchup with Arkansas.

«I don't know a whole lot about him except he's a terrific basketball coach. At a very young age, I knew him really well… but years have gone by and I don't think we have been to dinner one time in our lifetime.»

But they've been on the sideline as opposing collegiate head coaches 23 times overall, with Calipari holding a 13-10 edge.

As for the NCAA tournament, Saturday's fifth matchup between the 72-year-old Pitino and 66-year-old Calipari ties for the second most between two head coaches in tourney history — one behind Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Michigan State's Tom Izzo. Pitino won the first two, Calipari the most recent two.

«He's on Chapter 2 of his new book, and we're on Chapter 1,» Calipari said, in reference to Pitino's second season at St. John's and his first at Arkansas, which pulled away in the final minutes to beat No. 7 seed Kansas on Thursday to advance. «It's both of us writing another story and being able to come back here.»

St. John's (31-4) has the country's No. 1 defense and is on a nine-game winning streak. Arkansas (21-13) played one of its best games of the