Me and Calipari and Pitino, Oh mine! Title Coaches First round in Providence

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Providence, Ri – On Wednesday you could feel the buzz inside the amica of the Mutual Pavilion. This was not a typical media day before the first round game at the NCAA tournament, with several national media at their disposal, cameras everywhere and an abundance of expectations for the numbers entering the conversation room.

When Purdue’s Matt Painter holds the fourth most beautiful victory on the list of main coaches at the NCAA tournament, it should tell you everything you need to know.

Rick Pitino. John Calipari. Bill Self.

All three legendary coaches are not just in Providence. They are accidentally in the same base in the first round of the NCAA tournament. It is a combined 2,593 victories, 103 years of experience in a coach coach, five national championships, 17 trips to Final Four and countless trophies.

When self Jayhawks and Calipari’s Razorbacks Square on Thursday at 19:10 ET in the first round West Region 7. Against 10 games, their third meeting at the NCAA tournament will mark. The previous two? The 2008 national championship game, won by Mario Chalmers and Kansas, and plays national headlines for 2012, where Doron Lamb and Wildcats won to provide Calipari.

Obviously, this encounter is not at the level of these, but it should not be taken away from what should be an exciting match. Jayhawks entered the season first in the pre-season poll, but Self’s Group struggled with a disappointing 11-9 rating in the Big 12 play and the portal classes that did not move to the level of expectations in Lawrence.

On the other hand, Arkansas started 0-5 in SEC and looked like he would miss the NCAA tournament. However, the Calipari team started with injuries in a season to win five of his seven games that led to a big dance.

Winner Self Vs. Calipari Showdown is likely to meet Pitino, whose season was the opposite of those fellow legends, charge St. John To her first major Eastern Championship in the regular part of the season since 1985, in the year Lou Carnesecca took Johnnies to Final Four. Pitin’s team of St. John also won the Big East Conference tournament for the first time in a quarter of a century, launched by the main defense in the country.

All three brought a different point on the table on Wednesday, AI Calipari and independently stating that they thought this match could happen.

“Somehow I predicted it. I envisioned my team in practice,” said Kalipari, who would only seek his second win in the NCAA tournament since Kentucky took Kentucky to Sweet 16. “The team was like” How? “That’s because I did it!

Although she was not a regular season he hoped, Calipari said that grinding was to refresh him in a certain sense because of how hard his team had struggled at the most important time of the year. However, Kalipari did not stay on Wednesday when he was asked about his emotions during Sunday’s Selection show.

“Do you want me to tell you exactly?” Calipari asked. “It went down in the last four teams and we were still not. I am like,” Can I do it when four teams that came under were under us in the SEC? I can’t do that. Can I do that? “And we got in. Then I started breathing.

This “drama” includes the fact that Pitino, who was in Kentucky from 1989-97, and Kalipari, who was in Lexington from 2009 to 24 and met him at the Louisville Vs. Kentucky has become bitter Rivals for eight years and went to each other through some legendary season in Bluegrass Rival.

Self hopes that could help his Jayhawks, which are usually the team in the spotlight that moves to the NCAA tournament.

“I don’t look at it as deeply as another thing is,” Self said when asked about playing Kaliapra and Razorbacks. “I said a week ago that it would be Arkansas. I said,” You watch, we will play Arkansas. “

“I had no idea who two seeds would be, but I think it’s okay for us. I would think, and I don’t know positively, there will be a small story with Kansas and Arkansas, but the potential of another calipari-parino in the second round of the game can be said given that we will be honest over time.

Including between Jayhawks and Razorbacks has inserted two teams sitting in the top-20 on the Kenpoma defensive efficiency ladder.

Hogs could use a big appearance from the NCAA Tournament Great Johnell Daviswho helped to run Florida Atlantic to Final Four two years ago, along with the elderly Trevon Brazilwhich in three of the last four games was at least 15 points and 11 rebounds.

As for who should be enhanced for Jayhawks, Self did not waste the time when he states his answer.

“We need Hunter Dickinson Playing the game in a lot of time, “Self said.” When he plays well, everything else comes into place. “

The 7-foot-2 senior was transferred from Michigan to Kansas to continue the national championship. Although he had an average of 17.6 points and 10 rebounds per game at 53% of shooting from the floor, they never worked in the number this season. For Dickinson’s heritage in Kansas, it’s now or never.

These two teams met in a charity exhibition back in October, the one that was taken over by the abbreviated Jayhawks team at the time, 85-69.

“Well, they dominated us at the exhibition,” Self said. “Hunter (Dickinson) did not play. Rylan (Griffen) did not play. Shakeel (Moore) did not play. If I’m not mistaken, Jonas Aidoo He didn’t play for them. Nelly (Davis) was not very healthy yet, even though she played. They represent a lot of challenges because they are athletic and now more consistently shoot the ball, and they have shown that when they are as good, they are as good as everyone. ”

As it happened backwards between Kalipari and Self, with Self put on that Arkansas could turn away, Pitino would not recognize the rivalry with Calo Cal.

“There is only one coach I have considered a rival in my entire career, and I blessed the coach against Frank McGuire in his last game, while I also trained against Dean Smith,” Pitino said when he asked about his first game of the NCAA tournament back in 1983 while at the University of Boston. “The only one with which I had a strong rivalry, and today I respect him as much as anyone in the game was Jim Calhoun. We hated each other in Bu and Northeastern … We hated each other. And there were 300 people in every arena.

“Coach continues in Connecticut. I continue to train in Providence, and we hated there too. Today, I don’t think I respect any coach as much as Jim Calhoun. Looking back, it was funny at that stage of a buo against the northeast.”

While Calipari mentioned him When describing St. John, not appointing his rival by name or team, Pitino declined when asked about the drama surrounded by this four teams in the Western region.

“It’s really not important. They are great coaches, but I’m just worried about Omaho, because this team … Their guardian of the points will be the keeper of the top four points in the Big East,” said Pitino from the 15th Mavericks seed, who won the Summit League in the last 21 games in the last 21 games, made titles for their trash can after play. “They have a player of the year at the scene. I’m simply excited to be here no matter who trains. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m very worried about the talent we are facing.”

Yes, the stage is set. It’s like College’s coaches, an edition of the hit show “White Lotus” between a hotel in the Providence Center. We know one thing: there are great ego and zero love lost. The potential for Saturday night is unlimited. For now, on Thursday night, it is against Calipari.

John Fanta is national basketball television and a Fox Sports writer. It covers the sport in various capacities, from the invitation of the games to the FS1 to serving as the leading host on the Big East Digital Network to provide comments on the field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on @John_fant.

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