Pitino's Presence
LAS VEGAS -- This is the first time I've watched a Rick Pitino team live and he's one of the more vocal coaches I've ever seen. Whenever the action's near the Louisville bench he's barking instructions to his players that I can hear from the other side of the court. And he's not the only one. His assistants are giving their vocal cords a workout. Maybe they need to yell a little louder with BYU taking a 41-37 lead into halftime.
The players weren't the only ones getting an earful from the coaches as the Louisville section let the refs hear a chorus of boos when Pitino had some words with them going into halftime. The Cardinals played well over the final three minutes of the half, cutting a 37-27 deficit to the current four-point BYU lead.
Swing man Jonathan Tavernari leads the way for the Cougars at the half with 12 points and two rebounds as the Cougars managed to hold on to the lead despite shooting just 39 percent from the field.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals have been deadly when they've managed to hold on to the ball with a scorching 70 percent success rate from the field. Earl Clark and Derrick Caracter have combined to hit 9-of-10 field goals for 19 points. It just hasn't been enough to overcome a 13-3 disadvantage in the turnover column.
