Plenty of drama in Kentucky-Louisville
Louisville head coach Rick Pitino reacts as his team plays Florida during the first half of an NCAA tournament West Regional final. (March 24, 2012) Credit: AP
ATLANTA -- As its basketball team celebrated on the court Sunday, the Kentucky band played its customary part, striking up a soulful rendition of "My Old Kentucky Home."
This time, though, there was a spicy undertone, one that struck a chord for the week to come. Call it the unofficial theme song of the 2012 Final Four.
Even though the event will be staged in New Orleans, the drama will be centered along an 80-or-so-mile swatch of the Bluegrass State, where Kentucky and Louisville are ancient, bitter rivals connected by Interstate 64.
Now they will meet in the Final Four, and no one in the commonwealth will let either team forget it this week, least of all coaches John Calipari and Rick Pitino.
This will be the first time two teams from the same state meet in the Final Four since Cincinnati and Ohio State in the 1962 championship game.
Journalists and fans didn't wait for the matchup to be set before starting the hype. Pitino addressed the subject in Phoenix on Saturday after Louisville advanced and before Kentucky beat Baylor Sunday. "There will be people at Kentucky that will have a nervous breakdown if they lose to us," said Pitino, who coached there from 1989-97. "You've got to watch. They've got to put the fences up on bridges. There will be people consumed by Louisville."
Calipari hopes to make sure those people do not include his players, whom he will advise to avoid social media and message boards this week. He said it probably would be more difficult if he had more key players who grew up in Kentucky -- none of his starters did -- but the goal is to leave that topic to others.
"We play them one time a year, and we're not in the same league," Calipari said. When he has questioned fans in the past about why they get so "worked up" over the rivalry, he said, "They go crazy, [asking] 'Are you out of your mind?' ''
Adding to the drama is that the two coaches are not close personally. When Calipari was asked about his relationship with Pitino, he responded cautiously. "It's fine,'' he said. "We don't send each other Christmas cards, but if I see him in public and I'm recruiting, we'll spend some time."
So . . . friends? Acquaintances? "Friendly acquaintances," Calipari said, prompting laughter from reporters.
The teams met at Rupp Arena in Lexington on New Year's Eve, with Kentucky winning, 69-62. The Wildcats will be favored to win the rematch, too.
"If it happens, it would be awesome -- awesome for the state," Pitino said Saturday. "I've got great respect for excellence. But I don't get into these petty things. Kentucky-Louisville, to me it's nonsense."
Said Calipari: "Louisville is an outstanding team. They play hard. They're well-coached. It's going to be a hard game for us. Don't worry about them. Let's just worry about us. That's what I'm trying to get across to our fans."
Good luck with that, Coach.
