So much for all the tension between Louisville and Kentucky. The Wildcats beat the Cardinals 69-61 Saturday to advance to the national championship game in New Orleans. After the loss, Louisville coach Rick Pitino said he was pulling for his in-state rival to win it all.
“I just said John [Calipari], `I’ll be pulling for you, bring the trophy back home to Kentucky. Sometimes there’s a lot of talk about these guys fighting, dialysis, there’s also really a lot of people that get along. … For those that have brains, they root for each other,” Pitino said.
“We like their basketball team; we hope they bring it home for the state.”
Whether he was being genuine is tough to say, but I don’t think he would have said that if he didn’t feel that way.
Louisville scored the first points of the game and that was the only time they led. Though they came within two with seven minutes left, Kentucky led by a comfortable margin most of the game. The Wildcats were simply the better team, and Louisville had no answer for Anthony Davis who went 7-8 for 18 points with 14 rebounds and five blocks. Not many teams have an answer for him; that’s why he was named the player of the year.
Photo Credit: Bob Donnan-US PRESSWIRE
