Defensive Louisville Routs Tennessee
By MIKE CRANSTON,
AP
Posted: 2008-05-21 12:51:41
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 27) - Tennessee's Wayne Chism tried to pick up the loose ball, only to be quickly outnumbered. Louisville's Earl Clark and Preston Knowles both dove to the floor, and the ball deflected off Chism out of bounds.
Stephen Dunn, Getty Images
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It was what Rick Pitino loves: down and dirty defense, floor burns and hustle, and it's left the Cardinals' coach a victory away from a sixth trip to the Final Four.
Clark scored 17 points and had 12 rebounds, and Pitino's mix of defenses made life miserable for Tennessee in a 79-60 victory Thursday night that put third-seeded Louisville in the East Regional final.
Pitino, who has won an NCAA title and taken three schools to the Final Four, has Louisville playing its best basketball of the season when it counts most. After Louisville's two blowout wins last weekend, Pitino's signature zone and pressure limited the high-scoring Volunteers to 34-percent shooting. The veteran coach improved to 8-0 in regional semifinals and secured a date with top-seed North Carolina on Saturday night.
"One of the keys on defense all year has been changing it up," Pitino said. "When you give any good team a steady diet of one defense, it's not quite as good. We extend our zone almost like a half-court trap, and we don't give the wings good looks."
Terrence Williams and Andre McGee each added 13 points and David Padgett had 10 points and eight rebounds for Louisville (27-8), which nearly blew all of a 16-point first half lead, only to take control midway through the second half. The Cardinals are vying for their second Final Four trip in six years under Pitino. He also took them there in 2005.
"The last three games, our offense and our defense have both been clicking," Pitino said. "There have been games where our offense has clicked or our defense has clicked, but our defense has stayed constant most of the year."
Chris Lofton scored 15 points for No. 2 seed Tennessee, but was 3-for-15 in his final game with the Volunteers (31-5), who have never advanced beyond the round of 16.
After a horrible start, Tennessee got within 37-36 early in the second half thanks to its own defensive pressure, which forced 20 turnovers.
But then the springy Clark, who has come on in the NCAA tournament, had a driving layup, hit a baseline jumper and converted a three-point play in a 13-5 run.
Louisville's defense didn't allow Tennessee to get back in it again, and the Cardinals hit all nine free throws over the final 5 minutes to keep Tennessee at bay.
"I've been coaching a long time and never has the tempo of the game been dictated so much by an opponent," Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl said. "We usually dictate tempo. We attacked the pressure and we had opportunity to hurt the press, but we just didn't finish."
JaJuan Smith added 12 point and Tyler Smith had 11, but the Volunteers continued their NCAA tournament shooting slump.
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self poses with students in Boys Town, Neb., Wednesday, May 7, 2008. Self, who visited Boys Town before appearing at an Omaha sports banquet in the evening, said he'll have no idea what the roster for the defending NCAA champions will look like until after June's NBA draft. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
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Kansas basketball coach Bill Self, center, jokes during a visit to Boys Town, Neb., Wednesday, May 7, 2008, as he stands near Boys Town Executive Director Steve Boes, left. said he'll have no idea what the roster for the defending NCAA champions will look like until after June's NBA draft. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
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Kansas basketball coach Bill Self, left, takes questions from students during a visit to Boys Town, Neb., Wednesday, May 7, 2008. Self, who was in Omaha for a sports banquet, said he'll have no idea what the roster for the defending NCAA championship team will look like until after June's NBA draft. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
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** FILE ** In this Jan. 9, 2008 file photo, LSU's Garrett Temple (14) knocks the ball away from Mississippi State's Ben Hansbrough, right, and Temple eventually ends up with the ball during the first half of a college basketball game in Baton Rouge, La. Hansbrough, who helped Mississippi State advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament last month, is transferring to Notre Dame. (AP Photo/Bill Feig, File)
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Memphis head coach John Calipari smiles as he answers a question at a news conference at the college basketball Final Four in this April 6, 2008 file photo, in San Antonio. Calipari has signed a contract extension through the 2012-13 season that includes an annual raise of $500,000. Calipari will make $2.35 million per year and will receive a $5 million bonus if he stays through the end of the deal, athletic director R.C. Johnson announced Saturday, April 26, 2008. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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** FILE ** This March 27, 2008 file photo shows Texas guard D.J. Augustin (14) smiling during a news conference at the NCAA South Regional basketball tournament in Houston. All-American point guard D.J. Augustin says he is leaving Texas after two seasons to turn pro. He said Wednesday April 23, 2008 that he has long dreamed of playing in the NBA and that he is "ready to start living this dream." (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
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** FILE ** In this March 22, 2008 file photo, Mississippi State guard Jamont Gordon responds to a question during a news conference at the NCAA men's basketball tournament South Regional in North Little Rock, Ark. Gordon has decided to turn pro but won't hire an agent before the NBA draft. Gordon told The Associated Press he planned to file the paperwork. In a phone interview Tuesday afternoon April 22, 2008, Gordon said he intends to go through with the draft if he remains injury free. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
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** FILE ** In this March 23, 2008 file photo, Mississippi State guard Jamont Gordon (44) takes a shot as Memphis guard Antonio Anderson (5) defends in the first half of an NCAA men's basketball second-round South Regional game in North Little Rock, Ark. Gordon has decided to turn pro but won't hire an agent before the NBA draft. Gordon told The Associated Press he planned to file the paperwork. In a phone interview Tuesday afternoon April 22, 2008, Gordon said he intends to go through with the draft if he remains injury free. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
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** FILE ** This March 19, 2006 file photo shows Bucknell basketball coach Pat Flannery pleading with an official during the first half of their NCAA tournament second-round basketball game against Memphis in Dallas. Flannery is retiring after 14 years on the bench at his alma mater. A person at the university told The Associated Press of Flannery's retirement Friday morning, April 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam, File)
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** FILE ** Memphis coach John Calipari talks with Memphis freshman guard Derrick Rose (23) in the first half of the NCAA South Regional basketball final in Houston in this March 30, 2008 file photo, in Houston. Rose announced on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 he was jumping to the NBA, the same day Calipari agreed in principle to a contract extension with the school. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
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Tennessee went 5-for-20 from 3-point range and finished 11-for-58 in three games. It was another disappointing end for Pearl, who has resurrected the program at Tennessee in his third season, but hasn't been able to get the Vols into the round of eight.
The Volunteers, who were outrebounded 43-28, dropped to 0-5 in regional semifinals and finished with a school record for victories in a season.
"This doesn't take much away from the finest season in the history of Tennessee basketball," Pearl said. "No team has accomplished the things these guys accomplished this year, and I'm awfully proud of them."
Things couldn't have started much worse for the Volunteers. Chism picked up two fouls in the first 2 minutes and Louisville's extended 2-3 zone bottled up Lofton, their leading scorer.
When the Cardinals weren't turning it over, they were scoring off easy baskets in transition. Pearl had called two timeouts by the time Louisville took a 24-8 with 8:58 left.
Tennessee got within seven at halftime, then cut the deficit to one early in the second half, despite getting little from Lofton.
Lofton, who came in third in NCAA history with 429 3-pointers, saw a defender in his face every time he got the ball. He missed his first seven 3-point attempts.
Lofton was 2-for-11 from 3-point range, and could only watch Louisville celebrate in the final minute from the bench.
Cheerleaders perform during training for the beach volleyball events ahead of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, August 7, 2008. (Carlos Barria, Reuters)
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Chinese cheerleaders perform at the break of the USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team against the Russian National Team during the USA Basketball International Challenge exhibition game at the Qizhong Arena on August 3, 2008 in Shanghai, China. (MN Chan, Getty Images)
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Cheerleaders dance during the men's preliminary round beach volleyball match between Russia and Italy at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, August 12, 2008. REUTERS/Carlos Barria (CHINA)
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Cheerleaders perform before the men's 69kg Group A weightlifting competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 12, 2008. REUTERS/Yves Herman (CHINA)
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A man rides a bicycle past tribunes as Chinese cheerleaders wave flags at the rowing venue during the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
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Cheerleaders perform during a time out in a 2008 Beijing Olympics Women's preliminary match of Beach Volleyball at Beijing's Chaoyang Park on August 11, 2008. AFP PHOTO/THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)
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Cheerleaders perform during a time out in a 2008 Beijing Olympic Women's preliminary match of Beach Volleyball at Beijing's Chaoyang Park Beach volleyball ground on August 11, 2008. AFP PHOTO/THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)
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Cheerleaders perform during a time out in a Women's preliminary match of Beach Volleyball at Beijing's Chaoyang Park Beach volleyball ground, August 11, 2008. AFP PHOTO/THOMAS COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)
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A cheerleader is thrown up the air while performing during half-time break at the men's pool MB hockey match between Australia and Canada at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 11, 2008. REUTERS/Tim Wimborne (CHINA)
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Cheerleaders perform during break of men's field hockey match between Pakistan and Britain at the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games on August 11, 2008. Great Britain won 4-2. AFP PHOTO/ AAMIR QURESHI (Photo credit should read /AFP/Getty Images)
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"They wouldn't leave me," Lofton said. "It was tough to get my shot off. They're a great defensive team."
It left the Cardinals looking ahead to Saturday's game against North Carolina, the toughest test yet for their vaunted defense. The Tar Heels will also be playing a virtual home game just over two hours from its Chapel Hill campus.
The teams were set to meet in an early season tournament in Las Vegas, but the Cardinals were upset by Brigham Young.
This time Pitino and the Cardinals, who have won 12 of 14, are a confident bunch thanks to their defense.
"It's improved a lot over the course of the season," McGee said. "Coach has talked deny pressure, and trying to force steals and turnovers. Today, as far as offense, we did a terrible job in the first half - we had a lot of turnovers - but we handled their pressure pretty good. We stepped it up in the second half."
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