The way this game was discussed this week, you’d think it was the national championship and the second semifinal was the consolation game. That’s how big Kentucky vs. Louisville is — and now it’s elevated to the national stage. The on-court matchup features two teams with contrasting styles. The Wildcats like to get up and down, relying on the superior athleticism of their star-studded roster of underclassmen to overwhelm opponents in the open floor and around the rim.
Kentucky vs. Louisville
31 Mar 2012, 6:09 PM TE
NCAA Final Four
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The Cardinals excel on the defensive end, where their gritty guard play frustrates ballhandlers while 6-11 center Gorgui Dieng defends the paint. But it’s the coaching clash between Kentucky’s past (Rick Pitino) and present (John Calipari) that filled front pages and message boards in the lead-up to tonight’s game.
Pitino led the Wildcats to the 1996 national title in between a pair of NBA head coaching stints and leads his third team into the Final Four. Calipari, meanwhile, reached the 2008 final with Memphis, only to see his team squander a late lead and fall to Kansas in overtime. That trip, along with his 1996 appearance with Massachusetts, was later vacated. Last season, Calipari’s Wildcats lost to eventual national champion Connecticut in the title game.
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