Pitino, Louisville Rush Into Next Round

BIRMINGHAM — After a pair of lopsided wins made it look as if Louisville would never lose again, Rick Pitino provided a little perspective.

"I thought we were peaking last year," the coach said.

OK, that second-round exit in the NCAA tournament is history now, at least to most of the Cardinals. They put on a near-perfect performance Sunday, overwhelming Oklahoma 78-48 and coasting into the East Regional semifinals.

"Offensively and defensively, we did a beautiful job," Pitino said. "You really can't find a weakness in the way the guys played."

No need for him to shout, stomp his foot or stalk the sideline, the way he did at times during Friday night's victory over Boise State. He simply watched and enjoyed the show as third-seeded Louisville (26-8) reached the round of 16 for the first time since 2005.

Louisville will take on Tennessee, which beat Butler 76-71 in overtime, on Thursday night in Charlotte, N.C. Like the Cardinals, the second-seeded Volunteers count on a lot of players.

"We don't really try to worry about how deep they are," Louisville reserve Terrance Farley said. "We know they're a good team, more like a great team. But I'm sure we can compete with them. We got a great matchup at each position."

Louisville harassed freshman star Blake Griffin with double teams down low, trapped the Sooners and pushed the ball every chance it got. The Cardinals neatly zipped passes in the paint — that bit of insider trading paid off with easy baskets all game.

Even plays Pitino didn't draw up worked out.

Little-used Will Scott captured a loose ball, twisted his body and hit a heave from near half-court at the halftime buzzer for a 44-22 lead. While the Cardinals ran off hollering, Pitino walked away with a wry smile.

"It looked like it was going to be our night when that shot went in," Pitino said. "Everything was going well for us. It was one of those nights."

Said Scott: "Everybody has their 15 minutes of fame and I guess this is mine."

"I wouldn't really call that a shot," he said. "I just tried to chuck it up and it happened to go in."

Reserve Earl Clark had 14 points and Jerry Smith added 12 for a team that relies on balanced scoring. Most everyone took part, and Louisville shot 59 percent for the game.

Gone were the worries that came because the Cardinals entered the NCAA tournament with two straight losses.

"I definitely think we're playing our best ball right now," Smith said. "We're clicking right now, we're really focusing in and we're winning."

David Godbold hit four 3s and finished with 15 points for sixth-seeded Oklahoma (23-12). Griffin looked like an average freshman, held without a shot for the opening 12 minutes and limited to eight points.

The 6-foot-10 Griffin said he'll probably decide in three to four weeks about whether to enter the NBA draft. Sooners coach Jeff Capel is rumored to be a candidate for the South Carolina job.

"We just lost by 30, so I don't really want to entertain questions about anything but our program," Capel said. "And I just talked about our future, so I want to be here for a very long time."

Louisville matched its biggest rout in the NCAA tournament, having trounced Kansas State by 30 in 1968. Oklahoma absorbed its most-lopsided loss in the tourney.

The Cardinals breezed in the second half, the only hiccup a hard pass from David Padgett that deflected off teammate Terrence Williams' face and went out of bounds. No harm, and they shook their heads while a couple of Cardinals chuckled on the bench.

By the time it was over, the Cardinals already were done celebrating. They congratulated the Sooners and moved on. If there's something they need to improve, it's their free throws — they shot 5-for-15.

Pitino improved to 34-11 in the NCAA tournament. He won again with a hallmark of his: stopping the opponent's top threat.

That, and constant pressure.

"We were just rushed and hurried all night," Capel said. "Since we found out we were playing Louisville, we talked with our guys about playing poised and being strong. We didn't do that."

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