The Odd Couple

With the Final Four set to tip off this weekend in Houston, the story lines for the games are starting to materialize. The Butler/VCU tilt is about misfits, underdogs and the little engine that could. The Kentucky/UCONN battle is about blue bloods, NBA prospects and a pair of coaches who just don’t like one another. The frosty relationship between Jim Calhoun and John Calipari began when the two were battling for supremacy in the north east. Calhoun had already established a powerful program in Storrs while Calipari was trying to resurrect a fallen program at UMASS. They battled for media attention and players in the region while often taking shots at one another. Calhoun publicly tweaked Calipari by suggesting he wasn’t a true New Englander and scolded him for using a fake Boston accent.

The most famous recruiting battle was over big man Marcus Camby from Hartford, Connecticut. Following the commitment of Camby to UMASS, Calhoun refused to play against the school. Led by the talents off Camby, UMASS made a run to the Final Four in 1996. The appearance was later vacated following the discovery that Camby accepted nearly $30,000 in gift from agents. Trouble always seems to follow Calipari, as his 2008 Final Four run at Memphis was vacated due to allegations that someone else took the SAT test for Derrick Rose. As has always been the case, Coach Cal leaves town just before the sanctions have an impact upon him.

While Jim Calhoun receives mostly positive press and praise from media members and coaches, his infraction record in not unblemished. Following an NCAA investigation into his recruiting of prospect Nate Miles, Calhoun was suspended for the first three Big East games next season for failing to create an atmosphere of compliance. Unlike his coaching rival, Calhoun was punished for his transgressions in the matter. The reality is most of these high profile coaches are guilty of wrongdoing in some form or fashion. The battle for elite players is a cut throat racket and stepping outside of the NCAA rulebook is almost a given. Calhoun, with his thick Boston accent and rough exterior is portrayed as genuine by the media. Calipari, with his designer suits and slick hair is looked as phony. Whether the characterizations are factual doesn’t seemingly matter. Calhoun is still compiling victories at the institution he’s built since 1986. Calipari, has another star studded team at his third coaching stop and on a mission for his first national championship. They’re no longer battling for players and attention in the same region. But, on Saturday night, they’ll renew their rivalry on a much larger stage.