Hall of Famers Self, Calipari to meet again when KU Jayhawks basketball faces Kentucky
Kentucky’s John Calipari, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015, and Kansas’ Bill Self of the Hall’s Class of 2017, have coached against each other 10 times throughout the years.
The two are deadlocked at 5-to-5 in head-to-head matchups heading into Saturday’s Big 12/SEC Challenge showdown at Allen Fieldhouse. Tipoff for the game between the No. 5-ranked Jayhawks (17-2) and No. 12 Wildcats (16-4) is 5 p.m. (ESPN).
Self’s KU teams are 4-4 in direct matchups against Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats. The Self-led Jayhawks defeated Calipari’s Memphis Tigers in the 2008 NCAA title game. In one other meeting involving the elite coaches, Self’s Illinois Fighting Illini fell to “Coach Cal’s” Memphis Tigers team in 2002.
It’s a competitive rivalry, but also a friendly rivalry between the highly-acclaimed coaches.
Self has pointed out that he and Calipari have served on NABC committees together and have always maintained a good working relationship.
“I certainly respect the amazing job that he and his staff have done not only at Kentucky but also Memphis and UMass as well. He’s done an unbelievable job, fabulous,” Self said as quoted in a past interview with The Star.
“Even though we are somewhat connected because we both got our start at KU, our paths never crossed there. I certainly have a lot of respect for everything they’ve done and accomplished. How could you not? I can’t speak for him but I’d say the feeling is mutual,” Self added.
Calipari, who turns 63 on Feb. 10, was an assistant coach at KU under both Ted Owens and Larry Brown from 1982-85; Self, who turned 59 on Dec. 27, was graduate assistant at KU under Brown in 1985-86.
“He followed me at Kansas. We have the same mentor in Larry Brown. When I left, he came into Kansas and he’s had a great career. Everywhere he’s gone he’s won,” Calipari told NationOfBlue.com.
“I have fond memories of Kansas. We lost a national title game (at Memphis vs. KU in 2008) where we had the chance to win, missed some free throws, and if it was going to happen to any program who would beat us, I said, ‘Let it be Kansas,’” added Calipari, who picked up his 800th coaching victory (against 237 losses) Tuesday against Mississippi State. Self has a record of 746-225.
“I had my start in coaching there. I met my wife at Kansas. I had some wonderful times there. It’s a great campus, great tradition, great coaches that were there. Bill has followed in that line,” Calipari added.
Self in his 19 seasons at KU is 3-0 against Wildcat teams coached by Tubby Smith and 4-4 versus Wildcats squads led by Calipari for an overall 7-4 mark against UK as Jayhawks coach.
Self’s KU teams have fared better against the Wildcats than squads of his predecessors. Roy Williams went 1-3 versus UK. Larry Brown was 1-2, Ted Owens 1-12, Dick Harp 0-1 and Phog Allen 0-1.
Overall, Kentucky leads the all-time series against KU, 23-10.
KU started to narrow the gap on UK by claiming three straight victories in the series in 2016 and ’17. The Wildcats halted their mini-slide in 2019, however, downing the Jayhawks, 71-63, on Jan. 26, 2019 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. KU bounced back to win, 65-62, on Dec. 1, 2020 in Indianapolis.
The two blueblood schools have almost an identical number of victories entering this matchup. KU is 2,340-873 all-time, just three back of UK, which is 2,343-732 throughout history.
Here’s a quick look at the 10 head-to-head matchups between Calipari- and Self-coached teams:
Kansas 65, Kentucky 62, Dec. 1, 2020, Indianapolis, Indiana: Jalen Wilson scored 23 points and Ochai Agbaji 17 as the No. 7-ranked Jayhawks beat No. 20 Kentucky in the Champions Classic, held three weeks later than normal because of the pandemic. Christian Braun and Marcus Garrett scored eight points apiece for KU.
Kentucky was led by Davion Mintz and Brandon Boston, who scored 12 points apiece. KU hit 20 of 67 shots (5 of 21 threes) for 29.9%. Kentucky was 22-of-61 shooting for 36.1% (3 of 21 threes)
Garrett, KU’s defensive stopper, played despite falling ill leading up to the game. It was determined via testing he did not have COVID-19.
“I knew Marcus was going to play,” Wilson said after the victory. “He’s a fighter, one of the hardest guys I’ve ever played basketball with. He works harder than anybody almost, and I never doubted that he was going to play at all.”
KU trailed 35-29 at halftime and rallied from a game-high deficit of 13 points.
Kentucky 71, Kansas 63, Jan. 26, 2019, Lexington, Kentucky: P.J. Washington scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to pace the No. 8-ranked Wildcats past No. 9 KU, in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
Reid Travis scored 18 points with 12 rebounds and Keldon Johnson also posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards.
KU’s Dedric Lawson recorded his NCAA-leading 14th double-double of the season (20 points, 15 rebounds).
Lawson scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the first half and KU led by three at the break. After Agbaji hit two free throws to tie the game at 44, UK went on an 8-0 run and did not trail down the stretch.
The Wildcats outrebounded Kansas 49-36 and 23-11 in the second half. Kentucky also hit 17 of 23 free throws while KU was 8 of 11 from the line.
Kansas 65, Kentucky 61, Nov. 14, 2017, Chicago: Svi Mykhailiuk hit three three-pointers and scored 17 points and Devonté Graham converted the clinching free throws as No. 4 KU defeated No. 7 Kentucky at the Champions Classic. Udoka Azubuike scored 13 points, Malik Newman 12 and Graham 11 for KU.
Kevin Knox hit three threes and scored 20 points while Hamidou Diallo added 14 points for Kentucky.
Graham — he hit 3 of 14 shots and committed five turnovers — connected on two free throws with 7.1 seconds left.
KU announced prior to tipoff that freshman forward Billy Preston would not play because of an eligibility issue that wiped out his entire one-and-done season at Kansas.
Kansas 79, Kentucky 73, Jan. 28, 2017, Lexington, Kentucky: Frank Mason scored 21 points — 13 the second half — while Josh Jackson had 20 points and 10 rebounds to pace No. 2 KU past No. 4 UK in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. KU went 0-for-8 from three and trailed by 12 points late in the first half, then went 5-for-11 from beyond the arc the second half.
Landen Lucas scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds while Graham had 12 points and seven boards. Malik Monk and Derek Willis scored 18 points apiece, while Isaiah Briscoe had 12 points and De’Aaron Fox 10 for UK.
Kentucky which trailed by 10 points with 4:41 left, cut the deficit to four points before Mykhailiuk’s two free throws at :16 assured victory.
Kansas 90, Kentucky 84, OT, Jan. 30, 2016, Lawrence: Wayne Selden scored 33 points, including seven in overtime and the No. 4-ranked Jayhawks held off the No. 20 Wildcats in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
“It’s as good a game as he’s played since he’s been here,” Self said of Selden.
Kentucky led by eight points midway through the second half before Self went to a zone defense. Perry Ellis made the second of two free throws to tie the game, 76-76, with nine seconds left in regulation and Tyler Ulis fumbled the ball at the other end before Kentucky could attempt a shot.
Mason scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Graham added 11 points for the Jayhawks. Ulis finished with a career-high 26 points and eight assists. Jamal Murray added 15 points. Alex Poythress had 13 poin5w and Isaiah Briscoe 12.
Kentucky 72, Kansas 40, Nov. 18, 2014, Indianapolis: Top-ranked Kentucky routed the No. 5 Jayhawks in the Champions Classic despite having just two players score in double figures. Dakari Johnson scored 11 points and Andrew Harrison 10 while Willie Cauley-Stein added seven points and 10 rebounds.
Selden led the Jayhawks with nine points. Cliff Alexander finished with eight. The Jayhawks made only 11 baskets — eight in the first half, three in the second. They shot just 19.6% from the field and were 3-of-15 on three-pointers.
Self called it a “beatdown right from the beginning.”
Kentucky 67, Kansas 59, April 2, 2012, New Orleans: Anthony Davis scored six points on 1-of-10 shooting with 16 rebounds and six blocks in the NCAA championship game. Doron Lamb, who scored 22 points, hit back-to-back three-pointers that put Kentucky up by 16 points with 10 minutes left. KU trailed by five with 1:37 left. But Kentucky made five free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Tyshawn Taylor scored 19 points, while Thomas Robinson had 18 points and 17 rebounds for KU.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 11 points the first half to give UK a 41-27 lead.
“I wanted everybody to see, we were the best team this season,” Calipari said. “We were the best team. I wanted this to be one for the ages.”
Kentucky 75, Kansas 65, Nov. 15, 2011, New York: Lamb scored 17 points and Terrence Jones 15 in the No. 2-ranked Wildcats’ win over No. 12 KU at the Champions Classic. Davis contributed 14 points and blocked seven shots, while Kidd-Gilchrist had 12 points and nine boards. Kentucky blocked 13 shots and held the Jayhawks to 33.9% shooting. Taylor scored 22 points, while Robinson added 11 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out with 3:31 remaining.
“They had a will to win. That’s what I wanted to see,” Calipari said of his team. “That’s the hardest thing to teach in what we do, a will to win. This team seems to have that.”
Kansas 75, Memphis 68 (OT), April 7, 2008, San Antonio: KU, which trailed, 60-51, with 2:12 left in regulation, chipped away at the huge deficit and caught the Tigers, 63-63, on a three-pointer by Mario Chalmers with 2.1 seconds left. The Jayhawks rolled, 12-5 in overtime, to claim the NCAA title.
“I had a good look at it. When it left my hands it felt like it was good, and it just went in,” Chalmers said of what has been called the biggest shot in KU history.
Noted Calipari: “Ten seconds to go, we’re thinking we’re national champs, all of a sudden a kid makes a shot, and we’re not.”
Memphis 77, Illinois 74, Dec. 28, 2002, Memphis: Chris Massie scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in his first game of the season as unranked Memphis held off Self’s No. 7-ranked Illinois team.
Before beating Illinois, Memphis had suffered 14 straight losses to teams in the top 25. Illinois was the first top 25 team to play at the Memphis Pyramid since Calipari joined the Tigers for the 2000-01 season. Brian Cook led Illinois with 21 points and Dee Brown had 19.
“I do remember it was my third year at Illinois. I think they beat us in a real close game in Memphis. I know they won. I don’t remember the score,” Self said.
This story was originally published January 27, 2022 at 10:17 AM with the headline "Hall of Famers Self, Calipari to meet again when KU Jayhawks basketball faces Kentucky."
