Seth Greenberg previews rivalry between John Calipari, Rick Pitino ahead of Arkansas-St. John's showdown

John Calipari and Rick Pitino are two of the more esteemed coaches in all of college basketball, and they’ll face each other in the Round of 32 on Saturday. Arkansas and St. John’s both took care of business on Thursday and now they’ll have to battle one another for the right to advance to the Sweet 16.

Of course, the showdown between the two legends is something that college basketball fans will gravitate toward when it’s time for tip-off. Ahead of the game, ESPN’s Seth Greenberg shined some light on exactly what it means that Calipari and Pitino are facing off again, and why it’s such a juicy storyline.

“It’s really interesting. Rick Pitino helped John Calipari get that job at UMass. All of a sudden, John Calipari got UMass to the point where he’s playing Rick Pitino in Sweet 16s and Final Fours. That didn’t go over so well,” Greenberg said, via Get Up. “Then, when Rick Pitino obviously got removed from Louisville, John Calipari became the King Prince. What I mean by the King Prince is what he did in those early years at Kentucky was ridiculous. Do these guys respect each other yet? Do they resent each other? Yeah, no doubt about it. Are they friends? No, they’re not. They’re acquaintances right now, even though they grew up together.

“It’s not like these two guys are going to be sharing a bourbon or a bottle of wine. This is going to be fiercely competitive. But Rick Pitino, he’s built a team in his own image. John Calipari, in his first year at Arkansas, you know — it’s been a kind of a roller coaster. But I’ll tell you one thing, Arkansas is playing pretty good right now. Guard Kadary Richmond and keep St. John’s off the glass, and this thing will be one of those classic John Calipari and Rick Patino matchups.”

All told, the rivalry between Calipari and Pitino is something to behold, but the action on the floor should be exhilarating, as well. Both the Razorbacks and Red Storm possess an immense amount of talent, and it’ll be fascinating to see which side has to give in the end, and who advances to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

Only one can be victorious. St. John’s and Arkansas want a chance to compete for a national title, and they’ll have to go through each other to get it done. The battle between John Calipari and Rick Pitino will be waged on Saturday at 2:40 p.m. ET on CBS.