Bummer.
When Mark Pope took over the job as the Kentucky Wildcats head coach, many were wondering whether there would be a rekindling between Kentucky and Rick Pitino.
That rekindling happened two weeks ago at Big Blue Madness when Coach Pitino made his triumphant, surprise return to Rupp Arena and Camelot to raucous applause.
Many were also wondering whether we would see Pitino bring his St. John’s squad to Lexington to face his former player, now leading the program he once was at the helm of.
Well, that dream is now dead, according to Pitino and Adam Zagoria of NJ.com.
“I don’t think it going to happen now because they want to skip a year,” Pitino said in response to a question from NJ Advance Media at Tuesday’s Big East Media Day at the Garden.
Another source close to the situation confirmed that Kentucky “wants to skip a year. They can’t do ‘26-27 at MSG.”
Maybe one day we will finally get Pitino back in Rupp on the opposing sidelines, but that does not seem to be any time soon.