Rick Pitino is set to face one of his former teams next season with St. John's scheduled to play Kentucky during the 2025-26 season. Pitino and Kentucky head coach Mark Pope announced on Thursday their teams will square off in the 2025 CBS Sports Classic. The game will be played on Dec. 20 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

According to a person with knowledge of the event, St. John’s will replace UCLA in the annual CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta in December, meaning Pitino will face the school he led to the 1996 NCAA championship. The person requested anonymity because the news was not officially announced.

The CBS Sports Classic could be getting a makeover ahead of the 2024-25 college basketball season. According to KSR’s Matt Jones,“there is some chatter around Lexington” that one of the four schools in the annual CBS Sports Classic is looking to pull out of the event entirely.