John Calipari, Bruce Pearl are set to add another chapter to their coaching rivalry

Through 21 meetings at four separate schools, John Calipari and Bruce Pearl have gone head-to-head a ton on the basketball floor. On Saturday at Auburn Arena, the duo could have their biggest meeting yet.

To get ready for the matchup between the pair of national championship contenders, KSR is going to take a quick look back at the rivalry between the two star coaches and how it has grown over the years.

Battle for in-state supremacy

Following a failed tenure in the NBA, John Calipari returned to the college game in 2000-01 to coach Memphis. After consecutive NIT appearances to begin his tenure, Calipari quickly turned the Tigers into a powerhouse out of Conference USA. Memphis would eventually compete for national championships.

While Cal was building, Tennessee brought in Milwaukee head coach Bruce Pearl in 2005-06 to revive basketball on Rocky Top. The 44-year-old was able to do that quickly.

In six years at Tennessee, Pearl took the Vols to the NCAA Tournament every season with an SEC title in 2008 and an Elite Eight appearance in 2010. While building, Pearl kept butting heads with Calipari.

The two met four times while in the same state and split the meetings. Of course, the most popular matchup occurred in 2008 when No. 2 Tennessee knocked off No. 1 Memphis 66-62. It was the Tigers’ first loss of the season and the biggest win in Tennessee history.

These meetings set the table for what many thought would be the premier rivalry in the SEC.

Quick domination

Once John Calipari took the head coaching job in Lexington, things changed quickly for many in college basketball. The new head coach turned the Wildcats into national championship contenders overnight and sent a message quickly to Tennessee.

After splitting regular-season meetings in 2010, the two programs met in Nashville at the SEC Tournament, and things got ugly. Kentucky blitzed Tennessee on their way to a 74-45 victory and the program’s first SEC Tournament title since 2004.

Following a sweep in 2011, the rivalry would end once Bruce Pearl was fired by Tennessee in March and later handed a three-year show-cause penalty for lying to the NCAA after having illegal contact with Aaron Craft during an unofficial visit in the summer of 2008.

However, this rivalry would be reborn again in the SEC.

Auburn’s rise

After three seasons out of college basketball, Auburn brought Bruce Pearl back to the sidelines once his show-cause expired. Pearl returned to the SEC on the Plains and immediately began a rebuild at the worst basketball program in the conference.

However, Pearl inherited a brand new basketball arena and entered a university that was willing to financially commit to the program. After consecutive losing seasons to begin his tenure, Pearl has turned Auburn into a legit top-15 program.

The Tigers won the SEC in 2018 and followed that up with an SEC Tournament title and Final Four appearance in 2019. Pearl is now 155-93 in year eight and now might have his best team ever.

During this build, key victories over Kentucky have helped the Tigers create momentum.

After two losses in 2015, Auburn upset Kentucky in 2016 to give Bruce Pearl his first signature victory. The Tigers followed that up with another home win over Kentucky in 2018. After being swept in 2019, Auburn upset Kentucky in the Elite Eight for the biggest win in program history.

The teams have split meetings over the last two seasons. Overall, the Tigers are 4-1 against Kentucky at home and 8-13 against the Wildcats since Pearl came to town.

One could argue this is currently the best rivalry in the SEC.

Significant basketball in January

For the 22nd time, John Calipari and Bruce Pearl will face each other with a pair of national title contending teams. That hasn’t happened too often in SEC history.

At KenPom, Kentucky sits at No. 4 overall with Auburn checking in at No. 6. Both teams have a top-15 offense and a top-20 defense. Transfer bigs Walker Kessler and Oscar Tshiebwe have made an immediate impact on their two teams. Meanwhile, each has a transfer leading the way at point guard (Wendell Green and Sahvir Wheeler) while potential one-and-done prospects (Jabari Smith and TyTy Washington) provide each squad with some major playmaking.

Despite the star-studded matchup, the teams play just once in conference play. The Tigers also face LSU and Tennessee just once. With a one-game lead in the loss column, this could be the game that determines the SEC title.

Meanwhile, this is a great measuring stick for both teams. The Tigers and Wildcats could meet again down the line in postseason play. The SEC has a legitimate rivalry, and that is good for everyone.

Things will be heated on Saturday afternoon. Let’s buckle in for a fun 40 minutes as this rivalry develops.