The nicknames and comparisons followed John Calipari wherever he went. He was “The next Rick Pitino” or “Rick Pitino’s clone,” and it was time to have some fun. It was the day before Calipari’s Massachusetts Minutemen met Pitino’s Kentucky Wildcats in a 1992 Sweet 16 at the Spectrum,

Though they downplayed the animosity, the coaches also noted that they are not friends. Earlier in the week, Calipari waxed on about his relationship with Self, and how it's hard to play against friends; Pitino did the same about coaches like former UConn coach Jim Calhoun who have been important to him.