Saturday, December 29, 2001
Pitino rates UK 2nd only to '96 team
Not concerned with likely Rupp reaction
The Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Rick Pitino, being a native New Yorker, understands how Kentucky fans will feel as he leads Louisville into Rupp Arena on Saturday.
“They're Cats' fans, they should be rooting for the Cats,” Pitino said. “It's no different than when Bill Parcells was coaching the Jets. If you're a Giants fan, you're not a Jets fan.”
He's not sure exactly how he'll feel, though, leading his Cardinals on the opposite sideline from where he guided Kentucky to 107 wins of 114 games in the early 1990s.
“It's like going through a dark tunnel, and what's at the other end, you have no idea,” he said. “I don't know how weird it's going to be. Did I ever expect to go back into Rupp and coach? I never really thought about it.”
Pitino took over the Kentucky program in June 1989, less than a month after it was hit with NCAA probation. Four years later, the Wildcats reached the first of three Final Fours under Pitino, adding a national title in 1996.
He left in 1997 to become coach and president of the Boston Celtics, and twice brought his NBA team into Rupp Arena for exhibition games.
This one will be different, though, and he expects to be cascaded with boos as he walks onto the floor Saturday. But he said Friday the expected hostile reception from the fans who once revered him won't hurt.
“Does it matter? That's what you really have to ask yourself,” Pitino said. “The way I look at it, Kentucky was great to me for eight years every time I walked onto that floor. As a Louisville coach, it really shouldn't matter how you're received. I'm not the Kentucky coach anymore, I'm the Louisville coach.
“What's going to take place on the floor in terms of offensive and defensive execution is going to determine who wins and loses. Everything else does not pertain to the game.”
The Wildcats have hardly missed Pitino in four seasons under Tubby Smith, whom Pitino recommended to be his successor. Pitino went 219-50 in eight seasons, and Smith is 117-35, including the 1998 NCAA title and a 7-2 record and No. 6 national ranking this season.
Smith was Pitino's assistant at Kentucky before coaching Tulsa from 1991 to 1995 and Georgia from 1995 to 1997. The two remain close friends and were chatting at a high school game in Lexington earlier this week.
Smith isn't looking forward to playing against Pitino for the sixth time. Pitino has won all five previous meetings, all between his Wildcats and Smith's Georgia teams.
“That's probably tougher than anything. You want to do well against your mentors and your rivalries, like competing against your dad in the back yard,” Smith said. “That probably brings more to it than anything else, more than him coming back to Louisville. We worked together and want each other to be successful.”
Louisville is 9-1, its best start since 1996-97, but Saturday's game is its first against a ranked opponent and second away from Freedom Hall. It's also the 33rd meeting between the two bitter rivals separated by just 70 miles.
Tickets are reportedly going for up to $1,700, and Kentucky sports information director Brooks Downing said 126 credentials have been distributed to media members who don't normally cover either team.
The Cardinals have four freshmen and five sophomores, but Pitino said he hasn't planned on giving a fiery speech that matches the pregame hype.
“I won't prepare any differently than any other game,” he said. “The best thing about this team is that we put the same emphasis on every game. What I try to do is just play every game with a tremendous ferociousness and mental preparation.”
Pitino said the Wildcats he'll face on Saturday bear little resemblance to his best Kentucky teams because they are more physical and focus more on rebounding. He added that he's only seen one Kentucky team that was better.
“That '96 team was the greatest defensive team of modern times,” he said. “I don't think they're going to have quite as many draft choices, but that doesn't mean they can't be as good a team. This team, from a physical standpoint, could be as strong a team somewhere down the road. That's a tall order, though.”
The Wildcats lead the nation in rebound margin (plus-12.9 per game), while the Cardinals have been outrebounded in five of their last six games.
“We have a tough time simulating them in practice,” Pitino said. “It's tough when you're trying to get your guys to go four or five to the glass. We don't do a really good job of that.”
The Cardinals will unveil black uniforms for the occasion. Pitino said in September they would help Louisville begin the mourning period after the Wildcats beat them by 90.
He adjusted his margin of victory estimate only slightly on Friday.
“I'm hoping it's within the 70s,” he said.
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Pitino rates UK 2nd only to '96 team
