Mark Pope says St. John's matchup with Rick Pitino not dead yet: "We're working on it."
Concerned about Kentucky vs. St. John's not happening to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 1996 national championship next season? Mark Pope says it's not dead yet — even though Rick Pitino said it was now unlikely due to scheduling conflicts.
It just makes too much sense for the basketball gods to not get this thing across the finish line.
"If there is anything right in the basketball world, Coach P should be in this gym next year to celebrate 30," Pope said in an interview with Just The Cats on Friday. "He just should be. We're working on it."
His comments come after Pitino said the head-to-head matchup was off the table because the two sides couldn't work out a home-and-home deal with Kentucky's prior commitments.
"I don't think it's going to happen now because (Kentucky wants) to skip a year," he said.
Adam Zagoria of NJ.com added that the Wildcats "can't do '26-27 at (Madison Square Garden)" because "they have too many commitments already that year," according to a source.
"They can't go on the road," the source told Zagoria. "They need a ton of home games for season tickets."
A potential path to the matchup coming together? Pope says Pitino shares the same love for Kentucky as he does. And if he wants the '96 team to receive its flowers in front of Big Blue Nation on the 30th anniversary of that historic team, Pitino almost certainly does, too.
I'm putting words in his mouth on that last part, but Pope told Just The Cats that's his favorite trait they share together.
"Well, I hope one similarity is the way we feel about the University of Kentucky," Pope said. "Coach has said it, so — I mean, come on. I love him so much. No matter where Coach is in the world or what's happening, he acknowledges that Kentucky is Kentucky. He likes to say it's the Camelot of the basketball world and he certainly is right about that.
"He reveres this place appropriately, he knows Kentucky maybe better than anyone but two or three human beings on the face of the planet. He's got an enduring, enduring, enduring love and nostalgia and appreciation for this place is. And I feel the same way. We definitely have that."
Let's see if it results in that matchup getting scheduled.
