Kentucky derby could await Louisville in Final Four

PHOENIX — It took a remarkable comeback, but Rick Pitino survived the emotional matchup on Saturday with his coaching protégé, Billy Donovan. And yet this one may have the feel of an intrasquad scrimmage compared to what’s ahead.

Louisville-kentucky in the Final Four? If the No. 1 team in the country defeats Baylor Sunday, perhaps the most basketball-crazy state in the country will gear up for its own Civil War.

Or as Pitino put it: “There will be people in Kentucky who will have a nervous breakdown if they lose to us. They’ll have to put fences around the bridges if that happens. But it will be awesome for the state.’’

The countdown is on, pending Kentucky’s result, because Louisville gutted out a 72-68 victory over Florida on Saturday, coming from 11 points down over the final eight minutes of the second half.

In fact, the Cardinals trailed the entire second half and didn’t take a lead until freshman Chane Behanan made a short jumper in the lane with 1:06 left.

That set up a final frantic minute that saw Louisville’s 6-11 center, Gorgui Dieng, block a layup attempt, and came down to the Gators missing two open looks at game-tying 3-pointers with under 10 seconds remaining.

And so Louisville, the No. 4 seed in the West Region, could be on the path that Uconn took a year ago, using a surprising a Big East Tournament championship to launch a run to the NCAA title.

And while the Cardinals don’t have a Kemba Walker or a particularly dazzling offensive ballclub, Brooklyn’s Russ Smith, who played high school ball at Archbishop Molloy, stepped up on Saturday to lead the comeback with a game-high 19 points.

He was crucial for Louisville in the final minutes, running the offense after starting point guard Peyton Siva fouled out with 3:58 remaining.

Even so, Louisville (30-9) won this game in signature style, with relentless defense that wore down the seventh-seeded Gators (26-11) and forced bad shots and turnovers late in the game.

“If you look at us, we’re not that impressive,’’ Pitino said afterward, “but when you have to play against us, and your legs are giving out with five or six minutes left, we’re tough to beat.’’

The thing was, Florida dictated so much of the play on this day that Pitino credited Donovan for outcoaching him and said, “They outplayed us for 32 minutes.’’

Most significantly, the Gators shot holes in the matchup zone that had become Pitino’s primary defense during this winning streak, making eight of 11 3-pointers in the first half to take a 41-33 lead.

As a result, Pitino was forced to go man-to-man in the second half, and that changed everything as Louisville shut down the open looks. Florida didn’t make a three the entire second half, going 0-for-9.

That gave Louisville a chance to make its comeback, even surviving a Pitino technical foul with 10:56 remaining that helped give Florida its first 11-point lead of the game.

In the end, Pitino said the comeback was simply a credit to the hunger and desire that marks this Louisville team. He said this group reminds him of his 1987 Providence squad that made a Cinderella run to the Final Four, the first of what is now six appearances for him. Of course, those Friars featured Donovan as their point guard.

“I never wanted a Final Four more than I did for that team,” Pitino said. “But I wanted this one just as much because these guys are so hungry, they give me every single thing in their bodies.’’

The kicker is that the ’87 team has planned a 25-year reunion in Miami in a couple of months, when the players and coaches will get together to play golf and tell old war stories. Pitino and Donovan, both planning to attend, surely will have the most to talk about.