The Very Best Of Enemies

Then again, those aren't Calipari's constituents. For all the comparisons to Pitino, Calipari has always been different in one enormous regard. He was an outsider, the coach who ran lower-tier outfits (UMass, the Nets, Memphis) while Pitino coached the blue bloods (the Knicks, Kentucky, the Celtics). Not anymore. For the first time Calipari has the institutional muscle of Kentucky basketball to match his talents as a recruiter and coach. Big Blue Nation is in his corner—for now, at least—and if Calipari wins big in Lexington, he'll do more than restore an iconic brand. He'll out-Pitino Rick Pitino.