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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Pennell knows he’s gone

Shannon Ryan Chicago Tribune

INDIANAPOLIS – Much of the buzz around the NCAA tournament sites has been about coaching changes.

News of Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie being fired probably trumped most Sweet 16 games Friday. But the opening at Arizona also causes intrigue.

Arizona has all but said it will not retain interim coach Russ Pennell, despite the Wildcats’ unlikely run to the regional semifinals as a No. 12 seed.

Pennell didn’t mind making a joke about his sticky situation after losing to Louisville 103-64. Asked about the uncertainty of his future, Pennell replied with gallows humor, “It’s pretty certain.”

He has claimed all season that he was not focusing on building a resume for his next job. He repeated that response Friday night.

“What we need to do is enjoy the season for a day or two, and then we’ll all move forward and see where that takes us,” he said.

•One of the first statements Louisville coach Rick Pitino made after the Cardinals’ Sweet 16 victory was an apology. Pitino didn’t want his team’s dunks at the end of a 103-64 blowout against Arizona to be misconstrued as taunting. He called it the “exuberance” of young players getting carried away in their first NCAA tournament run.

•After shooting 50 percent on free throws in the first two tournament games, Louisville responded by connecting on 13 of 14 against Arizona. … The Wildcats were 2-7 this season when scoring 64 points or fewer and 10-0 when scoring 80 points or more. Only six opponents had scored more than 80 points against Arizona, which held teams to an average of 68.2 points per game this season.