Rick Pitino will get brutally sincere about going through Kentucky

[ad_1] The No. 22 St. John’s Crimson Storm had simply defeated the DePaul Demon Deacons at Carnesecca Area in Queens, New York, on Tuesday for his or her third win in a row, however head coach Rick Pitino has a a lot greater problem forward.

The Crimson Storm are scheduled for a marquee matchup towards the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday for a CBS Sports activities Basic recreation on the State Farm Area in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Wildcats haven’t been enjoying like a blue-blood powerhouse within the 2025-26 faculty basketball season, however Pitino stays cautious of his former crew, which is now coached by Mark Pope, one in all his former Kentucky gamers.

“Kentucky could be very massive,” the 73-year-old Pitino informed reporters, through Zack Geoghegan of On3.

“They’re plus 10 on the glass. They rebound the ball nice. They’re terrific on protection. It’ll be a hell of a recreation, it’ll be a troublesome recreation. We all know that,” Pitino stated when requested concerning the matchup. “While you go to Atlanta, they name it in Lexington: Catlanta.

They’ll have about six, seven thousand of their followers. It’ll be considerably of a street recreation (for St. John’s). However that’s okay. We’re enjoying good protection proper now. I feel it’ll be a great basketball recreation.”

Like St. John’s, Kentucky is coming into this contest with some momentum, having gained its final two video games. The Wildcats defeated North Carolina Central Eagles on Dec. 6, 103-67, earlier than taking down the Indiana Hoosiers, 72-60, on Saturday. Each of these video games befell at Rupp Area in Lexington, Kentucky.

The similarities between the 2 groups don’t finish there. St. John’s and Kentucky are each stout defensively, rating fifteenth and sixteenth on KenPom’s adjusted defensive ranking, respectively. However in addition they fluctuate so otherwise when it comes to tempo. Whereas the Crimson Storm are forty fifth within the nation in adjusted tempo, the Wildcats are 149th.