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.

As Rick Pitino took the mic at Big Blue Madness, he said he wanted to return to Camelot one more time before he retires from coaching. How about playing Kentucky in Rupp again? The St. John’s coach is all for it.

“I hope so,” Pitino said when asked during an interview at Kroger Field. “I’d love to come back and play them (Kentucky). Get my ass kicked once again.”

A home-and-home series would be the default thought, with Kentucky hosting a game at Rupp Arena and St. John’s hosting a game at Madison Square Garden. However, due to scheduling contracts, a game at Madison Square Garden isn’t possible for Kentucky.

“I want to play Kentucky,” Pitino said. “We’re trying to work it out, but Mark (Pope) can’t come back to Madison Square Garden the following year because of commitments.”

Instead, Pitino wants to host the Wildcats at Arthur Ashe Stadium, a tennis venue located in the Queens. As out of the box as it sounds, the venue has a capacity of over 23,000, has a retractable roof, and has hosted a WNBA game in the past. If both sides can make it work, it would be the venue’s first college basketball game.

“We’re trying to work it out. I would actually love — I’m sure Mark wants to go to the Garden, but I would love to play a game in Arthur Ashe Stadium in front of 23,000 people. I can get that done but it’s up to Mark.”