Louisville coach Rick Pitino lamented their 74-69 loss to Kentucky on Friday night that ended a dominant three years featuring the 2013 national title and back-to-back Final Four appearances with the prospect that several of his key players will be gone this summer to join the NBA draft.
"How can any of us complain with the run we've been on? We've celebrated an awful lot these last three years," Louisville coach Rick Pitino told USA Today. "It's the end of an era for us, for a lot of us. It's something we're certainly going to miss."
Pitino mentioned the contributions of key players Russ Smith, Luke Hancock, Stephan Van Treese, Peyton Siva and Gorguie Dieng who could all leave the school this season to join the NBA.
"It's the end of an era," he said. "And I as a coach certainly appreciate all their efforts."
The loss was a heartbreaker for the Cardinals who led by seven with four minutes to play but could not hold on the Wildcats' strong finishing kick.
The usually explosive Smith was one of those who struggled on the floor, shooting just 9 of 20 from the field. After the game, he said: "Missing my free throws in the first half, but other than that, I gave it my all. Honestly, I just wish I would have hit my free throws in the first half and we would have come up with the win."
Still, their conquerors paid tribute to what they have accomplished in the past three years.
"What the seniors did for this program is good," Kentucky freshman Terry Rozier said. "Back-to-back Final Fours and a national championship, they can't hang their heads too bad.
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