PHOENIX – It was a wild, crazy finish to an intriguing matchup between two former New York point guards — Louisville coach Rick Pitino and Florida coach Billy Donovan.  So, why not have another New York guard make the key plays down the stretch?  Russ Smith, Louisville's unpredictable X-factor, starred in the final minutes, after Cardinals point guard Peyton Siva had fouled out, and Louisville pulled out an improbable 72-68 victory Saturday in the NCAA West Regional final to advance to the Final Four in New Orleans.  Louisville was in serious foul trouble and behind by 11 points — 65-54 — with 8:16 left.  It looked like Donovan, who played for Pitino on a Providence team that went to the Final Four in 1987 and later was an assistant to Pitino at Kentucky, was going to break his six-game winless streak coaching head-to-head against his mentor.  But Florida scored only three points the rest of the way, and the teacher beat the student again.  The teacher had mixed feelings about it.  "To me, it's not difficult to play against a coach I love so much, but tonight it was difficult because of the way the game ended," Pitino said. "They outplayed us for 32 minutes, and Billy did such a masterful job of coaching."  Donovan, who coached NCAA champions in 2006 and '07, also felt jumbled emotions but was happy for Pitino, who has now taken teams to the Final Four in four different decades - Providence in the 1980s, Kentucky in the 1990s and Louisville in the 2000s and 2010s.  "I don't think any coach enjoys losing, but if I had to lose, I'd rather it be to him so he can enjoy this experience," Donovan said.  Donovan also put in a plug for Pitino's induction into the Hall of Fame.  "I'm actually shocked he's not in," Donovan said. "It should have happened a long time ago."  For Louisville, Smith and freshman forward Chane Behanan, named the regional MVP, took over down the stretch.  Smith, a slight (6-0, 160 pounds) but fearless sophomore from Brooklyn who doesn't start and is sixth on the team in minutes played — but first in shots attempted — ended up leading all scorers with 19, while Behanan, a burly 6-6 forward, had 17 points and seven rebounds.  Smith handled the point in the final minutes after Siva fouled out with 3:58 left.  Donovan said he wasn't that relieved to see Siva foul out.  "Russ Smith is actually in some ways more explosive than Siva," Donovan said. "He really has a fearless spirit about himself. He's sometimes crazy …He made a couple of turnovers. But he made some really good plays."  Smith laughed later when he heard of Donovan's remark.  "If Coach Donovan calls me crazy, I guess I'm crazy," Smith said. "I was actually pretty nervous. It's one of the first times I handled the point in a situation that was so serious. I had to find a way to calm myself down and get Chane some good looks, because he was going good."  Smith and Behanan sparked a 10-0 run that got the Cards within one point at 65-64.  A little bit later, Behanan scored inside with 1:06 left to give Louisville a 69-68 lead, its first lead in the second half.  The teams traded turnovers in the last minute until Florida was forced to foul, and Smith made two free throws to make it 71-68 with 17 seconds left.  Florida worked the perimeter and had two good looks at 3-pointers, but Bradley Beal missed a 3-pointer and, after an offensive rebound, Kenny Boynton missed another, and that was that.  Pitino, who seems to have a special (but frustrating) bond with Smith, got a kick out of Smith being a difference-maker in sending the Cardinals to the Final Four.  Pitino calls Smith's shot selection "rusticulous."  "Russ has the ability to score, but he has no clue how to play the game," Pitino said. "I say, 'Ok, Russ, let's go from eight ridiculous shots per game to five and then three.' He's bailed us out of more situations this year with his ability to take you off the bounce."  Florida was left to lament its inability to score when Louisville switched from its matchup zone to a man-to-man in the second half.  The Gators hit 8 of 11 three-pointers in taking a 41-33 halftime lead, then went 0 for 9 from the arc in the second half.  Florida players said they couldn't figure another effective way to score once Louisville's man-to-man shut down their three-point attack.  "I guess we just weren't expecting it," said Beal, a freshman guard who is perhaps a one-and-done player at Florida. "We just stopped attacking."
Rick Pitino nudged out Billy Donovan for a spot in the Final Four when Louisville finished the game on a 23-8 run for a 72-68 victory.