Rick Pitino is in Lexington on Friday night for the first “Big Blue Madness” event of the Mark Pope era.

Pitino, now the head coach at St. John’s, wore Kentucky blue as he was re-introduced to the rowdy crowd at Rupp Arena on Friday night. He presence was a surprise — he was the last member of the 1996 national championship team to walk out onto the floor.

The crowed at Rupp Arena erupted after realizing that Pitino was in the building:

Not only was Pitino present, but he also addressed the crowd. He spoke glowingly about Pope — who was on the ’96 team that Pitino coached to the national title — during his remarks.

“We get to root for a gentleman that … there’ve been a lot of great coaches here. A lot of great ones. But we get to root for someone that the name Kentucky, is what he’s all about. It’s not about Pope … the most selfless, humble, young man I’ve ever coached in my lifetime. One of the great, great examples of what Kentucky basketball is all about. Mark Pope is going to lead you to greatness in every sense of the word.”

Here’s video of Pitino’s brief speech to the crowd in Lexington:

Despite all the enthusiasm around Kentucky’s program this offseason, expectations nationally are pretty low for the Wildcats in 2024-25. Kentucky is +3000 to win the SEC regular-season title this year. That’s tied with Mississippi State for the 9th best odds in the conference.

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