Bill Self and John Calipari are two of the greatest coaches of all time. They have combined for 10 Final Fours, three national titles and a record of 109-44 in tournament games. In 12 official head-to-head matchups, they are 6-6. Self took down Calipari’s Memphis in the 2008 national championship, a battle of Mario Chalmers and Derrick Rose. Calipari returned the favor in 2012 with Kentucky, completing a 38-2 season.
The legendary coaches are now embarking on their third-ever meeting in the tournament. It’s safe to say the stakes are a little different this time around.
No. 7 Kansas faces No. 10 Arkansas in Providence on Thursday, a matchup featuring two teams that went through their fair share of struggles this season. The Jayhawks enter the Big Dance having lost five of their nine games after being ranked No. 1 in the nation earlier this season. Arkansas started 1-6 and was counted out for much of the season. But Self and Calipari found their way in as they always do, and will look to make a run from an unfamiliar position.
The milestone of just reaching the tournament means a lot to Calipari.
“This was one of those years that was so rewarding,” Calipari said. “All I’m thinking about is where we were. Threw us in the coffin, forgot the nails. No chance of the NCAA Tournament and all of a sudden, we’re here…we had to play without our two leading scorers for three or four weeks. You’re done. They got both of their leading scorers out, they’re done.”
The first-round matchup may have been an unexpected, exciting development for the neutral fan, but it didn’t surprise Self or Calipari in the slightest.
“I said a week ago that it’s going to be Arkansas,” Self said. “‘I said, you watch, we’re going to play Arkansas.’”
The Razorbacks head coach said he told his team who he thought their matchup would be. He predicted that his squad would end up in the same pod as Kansas and St. John’s.
“I said [St. John’s] would be the two,” Calipari said. “If we come out ten, they told me who the sevens were. I said we’ll play Kansas. And if we’re the two, it’ll be [Pitino].”
Both Self and Calipari began their coaching careers as assistants at Kansas, separated by only a year in the mid-1980s. Now in their 60s, the motivation to keep coaching at the highest level is still there. And that primary inspiration hasn’t changed.
“I think the biggest key, and I think we all go through it, is why did you really get into the profession?” Self said. “You did it because you love the sport, you want to impact kids, but you also love to teach…I think the key is not getting it twisted on what you really love to do.”
Even after all these years, it’s never easy for these good friends to coach against one another. Calipari grapples with maintaining that competitive fire, while also not dismissing his immense level of respect for Self and his accomplishments.
“Playing someone that I really respect and have a friendship with, it’s hard in this thing,” Calipari said. “Because both of us are going to try to beat the other guy’s brains out, and after it’s over you’re going to feel bad for 12 seconds, and then move on to the next game.”
That mentality makes these two coaches the best of their generation. While it isn’t the national championship game, the bracket blessed college basketball fans with another Calipari-Self clash. And no matter what seed they are, it’s sure to be a lot of fun.
