A recruiting showdown to watch

John Calipari and Rick Pitino are usually cast as rivals. From their showdown in the 1996 Final Four, to battling in Conference USA and now fighting for state bragging rights, the two coaches are usually talked about in the same breath.

So why would a prize prospect be any different?

Louisville's long been seen as the landing spot for point guard Marquis Teague, but Kentucky – fresh off another stellar Calipari recruiting class – is now seen as a contender for the 6-2 Indianapolis star, who will announced his choice on Thursday. And it sounds like Pitino's getting nervous about it.

A column from Rick Bozich of the Louisville Courier-Journal speculates that one of the biggest benefits to Louisville's agreement to play Butler on Dec. 17, 2011 in Indianapolis is that it would give Teague a chance to play before a hometown crowd just a month into his college career.

If Teague is a one-and-done type player, that'll be by far his best chance to do at in college. Sure, it's reading a lot into a game that will already be one of the best of the non-conference slate, but it's not a huge stretch.

At this point, Louisville needs Teague, while Kentucky just wants him. A John Clay writes, that's an important and crucial distinction when it comes to the Cardinals thriving in the same state as Calipari.

Rivals indeed.

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