In the 1980s, a Memphis State/Louisville basketball game meant great players matching up, two winning coaches on the sidelines and national attention from the basketball world.
That should be the case once again tonight when the John Calipari-coached Tigers (17-4, 7-0 in Conference USA), led by freshman Dajuan Wagner and senior big man Kelly Wise battle Rick Pitino and his Cardinals (12-6, 3-4 in C-USA) at 8:30 in The Pyramid.
The Cardinals, who boast one of the conference’s best scorers in junior guard Reece Gaines, find themselves in a similar situation as last season’s Tigers, with a new, nationally-respected coach in to rebuild a program which had experienced national success.
Now, with Pitino at Louisville, the spotlight has returned to the Memphis/Louisville game.
Calipari said he recognizes the similarities in what both he and Pitino are trying to accomplish.
“Hopefully, we’re both program builders,” Calipari said. “We’re both trying to do the same thing, get programs from down where they were, losing ball games, and get them to the NCAA Tournament.”
Both coaches have the records to support a claim of being program builders.
Pitino has a 364-130 lifetime record with a .736 winning percentage while Calipari is 231-90 with a .719 winning percentage, ranking both in the top 15 in winning percentage among active coaches.
Pitino and Calipari have opposed each other in the NBA and in the NCAA Final Four.
Pitino led the Kentucky Wildcats against Calipari’s Massachusetts Minutemen in the National Semifinals in 1996, with Pitino’s Wildcats advancing to the Championship Game.
The two also faced off in the NBA, Pitino with the Boston Celtics and Calipari with the New Jersey Nets.
Now, the two coaches will renew their rivalry and restore the luster to the battle between the Tigers and Cardinals.
But Calipari said the rivalry between the schools is much more important than Pitino vs. Calipari.
“When you talk about Memphis and Louisville, that goes a way back,” Calipari said. “The rivalry goes to the Metro Conference days when both teams were winning and going to the Final Four, and plus they are in our league and that makes it a big game.”
The Tigers should expect a tough game tonight from the Cardinals.
Louisville destroyed DePaul Saturday, 97-67, ending a three-game losing streak.
With injuries, the Cardinals have endured growing pains, but with players like Gaines, Louisville may make a push for the upset.
Gaines has averaged 20.2 points per game for the season and a conference-leading 21.3 points in seven conference games. Memphis will keep a close eye on him, according to guard Nathaniel Root.
“We have to slow him down and keep him in check,” Root said.
Junior center Earl Barron said the importance of tonight’s game should be evident in the stands and on the court.
“This game will bring a big crowd,” he said. “Our fans will come out and Louisville fans will show up too.
“This is rivalry week, and in the past this was one of the biggest rivalries across the nation. Now, with Pitino there, and Coach Calipari here, the rivalry will double.”
Tonight’s game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
