Insight Into Louisville's Pitino - NYTimes.com NEW ORLEANS - As Rick Pitino readies Louisville for a national semifinal against heavily-favored Kentucky on Saturday, his closest coaching confidant, Ralph Willard, provided some insight into Pitino, his methods and his potential Hall of Fame induction this weekend. On this Louisville team being a surprise: "Yeah, there's no question. Rick had a lot of talent. But to get to the Final Four with all the problems, all the injuries they had, he did a great job. They lost guys who never came back. If you told me before the season what would happen, I would have said there's no way they'd be here. This group is really, really unique in that they are very selfless, no great players, a lot of good players. All they care about is winning. Rick has that unbelievable ability to make them do things they never thought were possible. On how that happens: "He rides them really hard throughout the year. They toughen up physically as the year goes on. That's one reason they play better in the latter quarter of the season. He also spends a tremendous amount of time teaching and drilling. The players mature as the year goes on. They gain mental toughness. There isn't a person on that team that doesn't understand he really cares about them. He has that ability to make that connection. Sometimes guys that drive kids so hard, they can't make that connection. Virtually every player he has coached, and there are always some exceptions. I saw it over and over again. The light bulb finally goes on. You see that with this team. On Pitino's Hall of Fame chances: "I'm sure he's going to get in this year. He probably would have gotten in earlier if he hadn't been going back and forth between college and the pros. It's mind-boggling to me if he doesn't get in this year, for what he's accomplished, taking three schools to the Final Four, all that. He's one of the great coaches of all time. On the rivalry with Kentucky: "He could be playing Our Lady of Perpetual Health, and it wouldn't make a difference when the ball goes up. I don't think it has any added significance. The whole Louisville-Kentucky thing, the way people feel about him in Kentucky, that's sort of an enigma to him. But it's not an enigma to him, if you know what I mean. On if this is more gratifying after what Pitino went through in recent years (a marital indiscretion and an ensuing extortion attempt): "Like anything, he moves forward. He loves basketball. He loves teaching and coaching. People ask me all the time, why isn't he thinking about retirement? He wouldn't know what to do. He craves that interaction. He craves the sharing of the adrenaline with other people. I don't see that he could retire, not now. He appreciates it even more now. And he always appreciated it. On if Louisville can win: "Kentucky has the most overall talent of any team in the tournament. But the actual games are won by matchups and adjustments. I know one thing: he'll have his team prepared.