ATLANTA — The past will meet the present in the CBS Sports Classic. 

Coach Mark Pope and Kentucky Men's Basketball will face St. John's and former Wildcat coach Rick Pitino Dec. 20 in the four-team event, which also features North Carolina taking on Ohio State at State Farm Arena, home of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. Both games will air on CBS and stream live on Paramount+. 

Pope, who was captain of the 1995-96 Kentucky team that won the national championship, played under Pitino, who was head coach at Kentucky from 1989 to 1997. 

“Obviously, Kentucky was Camelot for me; I’ve said it many times,” Pitino said. “So now to play against The Captain [Mark Pope], who made so many special moments for me and the team, in a battle that CBS is putting on is quite special. I will remember it for a long, long time.”

During Pitino's tenure, the Wildcats went 219-50, winning not only a national championship but also five SEC tournaments and appearing in six NCAA tournaments, making three Final Fours. He is coming off his second season with the Red Storm, who went 31-5 and won the Big East Tournament.

St. John's head coach Rick Pitino calls to his players during the first half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Pope went 24-12 during his first season at the helm and led the Wildcats to the Sweet 16. He appeared in 69 games for Kentucky from 1994 to 1996. 

This will be the first time since 2016 Pitino has faced the Wildcats. Kentucky and St. John's have met 16 times, with the Wildcats owning an 11-5 all-time advantage. The last time the two programs squared off was in 2012, when Kentucky defeated the Red Storm 81-59.

Kentucky is 5-6 in the CBS Sports Classic. It will be the Red Storm's first appearance in the event. 

UK Athletics said fans will have the opportunity to purchase official travel packages for the CBS Sports Classic, including tickets for both games and hotel accommodations. Travel packages will go on sale in August, allowing fans exclusive early access, before general admission tickets go on sale. Check out the event's website for more information.

State Farm Arena last hosted the CBS Sports Classic in 2023. Last year's event was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In its 11-year history, Chicago, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Cleveland have also hosted the event.