As Kentucky approaches one of the most monumental sporting events the commonwealth has ever seen, the university will also see a coaching matchup that is rich with history.

And, depending on who is spoken to, one that is mired in controversy.

The relationship between UK head coach John Calipari and Louisville head coach Rick Pitino dates back to 1988, when Pitino reportedly played a key role in helping Calipari obtain the head coaching job at the University of Massachusetts.

Pitino claims to have written a $5,000 check to cover a portion of Calipari’s first-year salary, according to a March 26 Rivals.com article.

At the time, Pitino even referred to Calipari as one of his “three or four really good friends in coaching,” according to a 2011 Sports Illustrated article.

But, as far as fans know, that’s where the pleasantries stopped.

As each coached returned from unsuccessful stints in the NBA in the early 2000s, they found themselves competing at least twice a year in Conference USA: Pitino at U of L and Calipari at the University of Memphis.

That’s where the rivalry began.

Memphis and U of L battled for conference championships for four seasons before Pitino’s squad made the jump to the Big East in 2005.

When Sports Illustrated approached Pitino to talk about Calipari for that article, he said, “I really don’t know him, so I’d prefer not to.”

Somewhere in that time, the relationship went sour.

Calipari has had past contention with several coaches, including Jim Calhoun, University of Conneticut head coach, John Chaney, former Temple head coach, and Bob Knight, former Indiana University head coach.

He has always played the “little brother” role: leading the underdog to unprecedented heights while holding no punches in the process. Some say it’s his fatal flaw and his greatest attribute.However, it can rub people the wrong way.

Then there are Pitino’s recruiting battles.

In 2004, Rajon Rondo, a point guard from Louisville, wanted to play for the Cardinals.

But, Pitino had his eyes set higher, namely on Brooklyn phenom Sebastian Telfair.

Pitino stopped recruiting Rondo and went all in for Telfair, who gave him a verbal commitment at the start of his senior year.

Rondo gave up and signed with UK. In August, Telfair decided to put his name in the draft. He was selected 13th overall.

Not only was Pitino left with nothing, he lost a good player to the rival school in the state.

Now, Pitino was becoming the little brother. He was losing recruits to UK, he was losing games to UK (he’s lost eight of 12 in the rivalry) and he managed one Final Four while the late-Tubby Smith/Billy Gillispie years in Lexington managed zero.

And that’s how things have changed since 2009. Calipari’s hiring at UK was a perfect storm of sorts in the saga.

His fiery personality combined with the recruiting platform he now had was immediately dominant.

Since Calipari has taken the job at UK, he is now in control of one of the premiere programs in the country.

No longer UMass, no longer Memphis, but UK. Not only is he the head of one of the most historic programs in history, he is U of L’s, and Pitino’s, biggest rival.

When asked about their relationship on Tuesday in a press conference, Calipari said, “It’s fine. We don’t send each other Christmas cards, but if I see him in public and I’m recruiting, we’ll spend some time. But it’s fine.”

Fast-forward seven years from Rondo.

Another star point guard Marquis Teague was thought to be destined to play at U of L.

His father played for Pitino at Boston University and every recruiting guru was told he would give the Cardinals his commitment.

But, at the last moment, Teague had a change of heart and committed to UK in April. It was another loss for Pitino, but this was a loss to Calipari.

Pitino has had a successful season, taking a sometimes offensively plagued, injury-prone team to a Big East Championship and deep into the tournament.

And now, he faces UK and Calipari in the Final Four. There’s history, there’s controversy and there’s distaste surrounding it.

One coach will win and be one step away from the elusive national championship.