SEC Basketball Media Days were held in Birmingham on Tuesday, and while Alabama is the preseason No. 1 team in the country and the conference has nine teams ranked in the Top 25, the biggest story was John Calipari and Mark Pope in their new positions.

Facing non-local media for the first time since they were hired, of course they were both asked about each other. First to the stage was Mark Pope, who couldn’t have been more gracious in his first SEC Media Days.

“You’ll never hear me say a negative word about Coach Cal,” Pope answered. “He’s a Hall of Fame coach. As a die-hard Kentucky fan, alumnus, and former player, I am grateful for all of the incredible things that Cal accomplished at the University of Kentucky. He’s been a good friend, a terrific mentor.

The exception, February 1st, when the two match up against each other for the first time with their new programs. “We’ll be cheering for him like crazy except for February 1st.”

A few hours later, Calipari was asked about his successor.

“I think they hired a perfect guy for that job,” Calipari said of Pope. “He played there, graduated from there. Has a heart for the place. I’ll be rooting for him.”

By the faces of the media, this caught some off guard, to which he responded, “Come on, I have fifteen years [at Kentucky]. Gave my heart and soul. I want them [Kentucky] to do well, except that date [February 1st]. He’s [Pope] a good man. Terrific basketball coach. They hired the right guy.”

Two classy and respectful answers. Time will tell if this good blood will sustain and who will come out on top on February 1st.

“This is all about family,” Mark Pope said Friday night at Big Blue Madness. At the end of a long line of former Kentucky players, carrying eight national championship trophies stood Rick Pitino.

Yes, the former Louisville coach who flipped off the crowd in his last time at Rupp Arena in 2015, but also the man who resurrected Kentucky from the death penalty and helped assemble one of the greatest collections of talent in Kentucky history in the 1996 team.

As he walked out, Kentucky fans roared in applause, many having tears in their eyes. Pitino admitted in an interview with Matt Jones, that he nearly shed tears of his own.

“I came within inches of crying my eyes out,” Pitino said. “It was very emotional for me. I was backstage with all my players. It was great to see them. Then walking out, became more emotional. I didn’t know I was going to receive that kind of ovation. It was one of the best nights of my life. It really touched me.”

Immediately after Madness, Pitino told Kentucky Insider, “It meant the world to me.”

A moment that will be remembered in Kentucky basketball history.

The Kentucky football and basketball programs haven’t been on the best terms since 2022, when some controversial comments were made about Kentucky being a “basketball school.” This created a ‘rivalry’ of sorts, and while they put it past them publicly, that was not exactly the case privately.

Since taking over in April, Mark Pope has made it a point to repair that relationship, making public appearances with Mark Stoops, and having his team present at Kroger Field for every home game thus far this season.

On Friday night, Stoops made an appearance at Big Blue Madness as the elder statesman of Kentucky athletics, being the longest-tenured coach of the major programs. As the LED floor transitioned into a football field, Stoops walked out and took a subtle shot at John Calipari.

“So, this is madness?” Stoops asked the Rupp Arena crowd. “I’ve been missing this for 12 years. I just wanted to come and welcome coach Kenny Brooks and his team, and coach Mark Pope and his team. We are all in this together.”

Wonder if Stoops will be in the crowd on February 1st, for Calipari’s return to Rupp Arena…