Omaha Mavericks at St. John's Red Storm

Pitino leads St. John's past Omaha and into 2nd-round March Madness matchup with nemesis Calipari

Pitino returned to the city where he first hung a Final Four banner and picked up a March Madness victory with yet another school on Thursday night, coaching St. John’s past Omaha 83-53 and into a second-round matchup with Calipari, his longtime nemesis.

“I don’t go against coaches; we go against teams," Pitino said. "He doesn’t have to worry about me. My jump shot is long gone. We’re preparing for his players. He’s preparing for our players. John and I don’t play 1-on-1 anymore.”

RJ Luis Jr. had 22 points and eight rebounds for the second-seeded Red Storm, who recovered from a cold-shooting start to pull away early in the second half. That earned them a matchup against No. 10 seed Arkansas on Saturday, with the winner earning a trip to the Sweet 16.

But more delectable for basketball fans will be the pairing of Pitino and Calipari, two strong-willed Hall of Famers – and NCAA infraction magnets – who developed an unfriendly rivalry in the 2010s when Calipari was at Kentucky and Pitino was an hour away in Louisville.

“John was at Kentucky; I was at Louisville. It’s normal," Pitino said. “I have always had great respect for John.”

That the game will take place in Providence will give Pitino the home-court advantage: He has been beloved in the Rhode Island capital since leading the Friars to the 1987 Final Four in one of the most surprising rolls in March Madness history.

Even though he has now taken six teams to the NCAA Tournament, made seven trips to the Final Four and won it in 1996 at Kentucky, he said this week the Providence run was “magical.”

“It’s one of my favorite coaching stints of all time,” he said on Wednesday.

Turning point St. John's missed its first five shots and spotted the Mavericks a 7-0 lead. But the Red Storm (31-4) took a five-point lead into the half and then scored 12 of the first 14 points in the second to open a 45-30 lead.

St. John's led 50-36 when Luis hit back-to-back 3-pointers, and then Kadary Richmond made a pair of baskets to complete a 10-0 run.

“We came out very tight,” Luis said. “I think it was a little bit of nerves but we cleaned it up in the second half and we got back to our identity, which is defense, and we brought up the pressure. We’ve just got to learn from our mistakes and prepare for Saturday.”

JJ White scored 15 points and Isaac Ondekane grabbed 11 rebounds for the 15th-seeded Mavericks (22-13).

Key stat Omaha stayed close for a half thanks to 24 offensive rebounds. But the Mavericks were just 5 for 36 from 3-point range and shot 26% overall.

“I’m not thrilled with the rebounding. I’m thrilled with everything else,” Pitino said. “We got them to take a lot of bad shots; defense was excellent. We changed our defense in the second half, which helped us a lot. But I wasn’t happy giving up 24 second shots.”

Up next With a St. John’s victory over Arkansas, Pitino would earn his 14th trip to the Sweet 16; a Razorbacks win would give Calipari his 16th.

The two have met four times in the NCAA Tournament: When Pitino was at Kentucky, he twice beat Calipari's UMass teams. When Calipari was at Kentucky and Pitino was at Louisville, Calipari won both times.

How can I watch Omaha vs. St. John's?

• TV Channel: Omaha at St. John's 2021 College Basketball, week 1, is broadcasted on CBS.
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