Dan Wetzel writes for Yahoo Sports about what this weekend’s Final Four matchup means, not just to the respective schools and fanbases, but in terms of one of the most interesting relationships between to coaches in any sport…ever.
[LEFT][COLOR=#111111][FONT=arial][I]…for the first time since the Pitino-Calipari relationship deteriorated a couple decades back, the roles and stakes for these two big coaching personalities have completely flipped.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#111111][FONT=arial][I]Pitino, 59, was always the older brother; more successful, more established and more polished – the flawlessly attired New Yorker. He spent forever trying to downplay their relationship and ignore Calipari’s yapping. He did it mostly by projecting an image that whatever he was doing was automatically bigger than anything Calipari could dream up.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#111111][FONT=arial][I]Calipari, 53, was the incessant distraction, the blue-collar [URL=”http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/teams/pal/”]Pittsburgh[/URL] product always looking for the fight, for the tweak, for a sign he mattered even as he coached less-resource rich programs. A battle with Pitino would signify they shared an equal stage.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#111111][FONT=arial][I]And then we get to this week, Kentucky still the tournament’s heavy favorite, Louisville the closest thing to a surprise in the Final Four. So they’re trying to perform the other’s old act.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#111111][FONT=arial][I]Calipari: “Don’t worry about Louisville … Don’t worry about them. Let’s just worry about us. That’s what I’m trying to get across to our fans. I’m just worried about us playing at our best. If that’s not good enough, it’s been a heck of a season.”[/I][/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#111111][FONT=arial][I]Pitino: “There will be people at Kentucky that will have a nervous breakdown if they lose to us. You’ve got to watch. They’ve got to put the fences up on bridges. There will be people consumed by Louisville.”[/I][/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#111111][FONT=arial][I]Oh, Pitino has to love this script change. For once he’s the underdog. For once he’s the guy playing with house money, taking a Louisville team few saw coming a month ago to a Final Four that has his fan base elated. Pitino said, and will continue to say, plenty of calm, complimentary words about UK, but he couldn’t (and likely can’t) resist throwing in some thinly-veiled shots.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#111111][FONT=arial][I]After all, he’s got the chance to ruin Kentucky’s dream season in a way it’s never been ruined before. By having a former coach and a less-talented team derail a long-presumed national championship.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#111111][FONT=arial][I]The mere concept puts Calipari under a world of pressure. An actual loss would be devastating.
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For the rest, click [URL=”http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=dw-wetzel_john_calipari_rick_pitino_final_four_032612″]here[/URL].[/FONT][/COLOR][/LEFT]
