Mark Pope, Rick Pitino confirm Kentucky vs. St. John's in CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta

That didn’t take long. Hours after word broke that St. John’s will replace UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic, Mark Pope and Rick Pitino confirmed that the Red Storm will play the Cats in this year’s event at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Saturday, December 20. Kentucky vs. St. John’s will be the second half of the doubleheader, with North Carolina playing Ohio State in the first game. Both games will air on CBS and stream live on Paramount+. Tip times will be announced at a later date.

Fittingly, this season marks the 30th anniversary of Kentucky’s 1995-96 national championship run, when Rick Pitino was the head coach and Mark Pope was the team captain. A Kentucky vs. St. John’s game has been in the works since Pope took the job last year, but the Cats’ prior scheduling obligations kept getting in the way. In the FaceTime released by UK, you could tell both are thrilled it’s finally happening.

“It’s 30 years since you won your first national championship, and I got mine, thanks to you,” Pope said to Pitino. “And I think we should give the Johnnies and all of BBN the greatest Christmas gift ever on December 20th in Catlanta. What do you say?”

“It feels like it was about seven, eight years ago that we won the championship,” Pitino joked. “But I’ve coached one of the greatest teams in the history of the game, and you were the captain, and now we get to coach against each other. I’m just turning 60 years of age and you’re still young.”

“Can’t wait, Coach. I love you, man. Let’s go make this happen.”

“Love you, Mark. Let’s go. It’ll be so exciting for both programs, and I look forward to a great Christmas.”

Christmas in Catlanta 🎄😼

Thank you, @CBSSports Classic, for making this happen. pic.twitter.com/PpAePu1fG1

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) May 1, 2025

This will be the second meeting between Pope and Pitino as coaches (the first took place in Pope’s first year at Utah Valley in 2015) and the 17th meeting between Kentucky and St. John’s. The Cats lead the series 11-5, with the last game taking place in 2012 in Lexington, an 81-59 Kentucky win. This will also mark Pitino’s first game against Kentucky since 2016, his final season at Louisville. The Cards beat the Cats 73-70 that season at the Yum Center, just one of five wins Pitino had over Kentucky as Louisville’s head coach.

Now, the two teams, both ranked in the top 15 in preseason polls, will square off in Catlanta, five days before Christmas. That’s quite a gift for BBN, especially if the Cats pull off a win, and would bring Kentucky back to .500 in the CBS Sports Classic. The Cats are 5-6 in the event, most recently losing to Ohio State in New York; however, they’ve won two straight in Atlanta, beating Duke in the Champions Classic last season and North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic in 2023.

Pitino will bring a preseason top-three team into his first meeting against the Cats as St. John’s coach. The Red Storm has one of the best transfer portal classes in the country with Ian Jackson (North Carolina), Bryce Hopkins (Providence), Joson Sanon (Arizona State), and Oziyah Sellers (Stanford). This will also be Hopkins’ second game against Kentucky, his former squad. The Cats beat Providence in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Tickets for the CBS Sports Classic aren’t on sale yet, but you can register for email alerts regarding ticket news and other event details at cbssportsclassic.com/tickets. Fans who register for alerts will receive key information on travel package sales and will also be eligible for an exclusive ticket presale.

Kentucky’s 2025-26 non-conference schedule (as we know it)

Kentucky’s non-conference schedule is shaping up to be a tough one. On today’s episode of KSR, Drew Franklin also teased a game vs. Texas Rio Grande Valley, so the Vaqueros may be coming to Rupp as well.

• Nov. 18: vs. Michigan State | Champions Classic (New York)
• Dec. 5: vs. Gonzaga | Nashville
• Dec. 13: vs. Indiana | Rupp Arena
• Dec. 20: vs. St. John’s | CBS Sports Classic (Atlanta)
• Dec. 23: vs. Bellarmine | Rupp Arena
• TBD: vs. Louisville | Louisville
• TBD: SEC/ACC Challenge (TBD)
• TBD: vs. NC Central | Rupp Arena

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