Tennessee’s Rick Barnes and Kentucky’s John Calipari are old friends. That we know. They met working at Howard Garfinkel’s famous Five-Star coaching camps. Both were up-and-comers with bright futures. They bonded. The bond held.
Years later, as Barnes’ Volunteers play Calipari’s Wildcats on Saturday night at Rupp Arena, the two have something else in common.
They both want a return trip to the Final Four.
For Barnes, it’s been awhile. His one-and-only Final Four trip came in 2003 at Texas. The Longhorns lost to Carmelo Anthony and Syracuse 95-84 in the national semifinal before the Orange gave Jim Boeheim his one-and-only title with an 81-78 win over Roy Williams and Kansas in the championship game.
Calipari hasn’t taken Kentucky back to the Final Four since 2015 . That was the final season of a remarkable run. From 2008 through ‘15, Calipari’s teams reached the ultimate weekend five times in eight years. Cal reached the final game three times, cutting down the nets in 2012.
So who has better the chance of getting there this year?