St. John's head coach Rick Pitino doesn't want to get in a war of words with John Calipari, but recent comments from Kentucky coach Mark Pope suggest otherwise.

The NCAA Tournament bracket is out and there are some juicy matchups right out of the gates. One second-round matchup could be particularly intriguing. St. John’s is paired with Arkansas for a possible meeting after the opening round of action.

Mark Pope's Kentucky secured a No. 3 seed for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. However, he appeared to be more thrilled at the possibility of two former Wildcats coaches, John Calipari and Rick Pitino, potentially going head-to-head in the second round of March Madness.