Pitino's pushing yields run to Sweet 16

Minutes after NC State comfortably dispatched the University of Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center on Valentine's Day, an at-wit's-end Rick Pitino marched into his post-game press conference and let his team have it.

"We got dominated," Pitino said. "We're not getting any of our defensive stats. There were always times in the past when we didn't shoot a high percentage but our defense would carry us through. … We never get our deflection totals. We never get our steal totals. We never get our offensive rebound totals. I'm disappointed.

"I think our guys are not like my other teams. They let points dictate. If they're not scoring, they don't play defense. It's been going on for a while."

More than any other game this season, the NC State loss bothered the 62-year-old Pitino. It still serves as the prime example of what it looks like when every flaw that this Louisville team has comes to light. And for Pitino, it stands as the on-court rock bottom of a season that frustrated him until just about last week.

Nothing about that performance indicated Louisville (26-8) would still be playing into the second weekend of the NCAA tournament, but it is a reminder of how far the Cardinals have come in the last five weeks.

"Our defense is definitely not how it was last year or in previous years," sophomore guard Terry Rozier said. "He had every right to be frustrated ... (but) we've come a long way."

Before the season began, Pitino was earnest in his assessment of Louisville. It was hard to tell at the time if he was speaking with his usual level of hyperbole, underselling a team destined for another 30-win season, or if the coach was serious.

He was certain there would be "bumps in the road" and that his team, with its 10 scholarship freshmen and sophomores, would require some time to blossom. On Tuesday, Pitino called it "rebuilding a culture," and not necessarily rebuilding a team.

Logically, the stance on U of L went like this: If Louisville found help from two or three young bench guys and Rozier played to his potential — and he has had a standout, if sometimes inconsistent, season — the Cardinals could be a Final Four contender built around Rozier, standout guard Chris Jones, All-American forward Montrezl Harrell and senior leader Wayne Blackshear.

"I think he knew that it wasn't going to be the same type of team that he's had in years past," said Pitino's son, Richard, who is the head coach at Minnesota.

"They had a lot of young guys who were unproven. I think he understood that he was going to have to bring those young guys along."

The season opener was relatively sharp, considering the game was played in a Coast Guard hangar in Puerto Rico. The Cards rang up 81 points against Richard's Minnesota, a team some believed was bound for an NCAA tournament appearance.

From there, Louisville ran through the next 10 games, beating Ohio State at home and running past Indiana in New York City. There were frustrations along the way, but the Cardinals were 11-0 before taking on Kentucky.

In that game, Louisville discovered some of its biggest weaknesses, many of which still exist. Against teams with tall, athletic frontcourts, the Cardinals have trouble scoring around the basket, and long, ugly scoring droughts prevented Louisville from using its defense to fuel a win. Kentucky's rebounding proved the deciding factor.

Duke exposed Louisville's shooting problems, as did Virginia. North Carolina used its long, rangy frontcourt to offensive rebound and come back from a 13-point second-half deficit.

Pitino remained optimistic after the Virginia and North Carolina losses, and saved most criticism of his team for sluggish wins.

At least until the NC State game, and the road loss at Syracuse that followed four days later. Pitino lit into his team's point-chasing mindset after the NC State game, and he was highly critical of Jones, who had been suspended for the Syracuse game, after losing to the Orange.

He went further in Syracuse, saying freshman wing Shaqquan Aaron wasn't doing the things required to be a "Louisville man."

Pitino, for all his early-season comments about having a young team, seemed fed up.

"Look, he's been there," said Pitino's longtime friend and mentor Hubie Brown. "What happens is, many times, you have less talent, you have high expectations, and your premier players are in and out. They're not consistent.

"That's really a basic explanation of this type of year that he's having."

But once Jones was dismissed from the team in late February, Pitino seemed to ease up a bit on his younger players, understanding they would have to become primary figures if Louisville wanted to advance at all in March. And with that responsibility, the young players seem to have turned a corner.

In nearly every press conference over the last month, Pitino has explained how difficult the circumstances are for freshman Quentin Snider, who has replaced Jones as the starting point guard. He has praised freshman big man Jaylen Johnson's development after saying the 6-foot-9 Michigan native was "lost" earlier this season.

Matz Stockman and Anas Mahmoud have both improved as well, Pitino said, as they both learn American basketball culture. Just this past week, a few months after telling reporters that redshirt sophomore Mangok Mathiang had suffered from a "sophomore jinx," Pitino said Louisville wouldn't be playing in the Sweet 16 without him.

And now U of L, the team that looked so lost in that February second half against NC State and frustrated its Hall of Fame coach so much this season, is playing on Friday for a spot in the East region final.

There is no better Sweet 16 opponent for the story line than NC State, and there is no better place to play this game than Syracuse.

Louisville's frustrating season has come full circle, and Pitino's Cardinals are suddenly playing with house money — and a smiling, happy coach.

"Through the years, whichever level of team he's had, he's been able to maximize its potential," Brown said. "When the situation becomes bleak, can you get them believe in your next game plan, and then be able to execute under the pressure?

"The kids understand there are no shortcuts. He doesn't do that. He's coming at you full blast, 24-7, up-tempo, maximizing whatever is available in regards to injuries or player talent level at that time, and it's always from a positive standpoint that he can win every game."

Reach U of L beat writer Jeff Greer at (502) 593-9435 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).