COLLEGE BASKETBALL / FINAL FOUR NOTES : KENTUCKY : Pitino: It’s Not Life and Death

Rick Pitino has resurrected the Kentucky basketball program from the dark days of NCAA sanctions for recruiting violations. The Wildcats endured their first losing season in 62 years when they were 13-19 in the 1988-89 season.

Now, under Pitino, Kentucky is 30-3 and challenging for a national championship. Aware of sometimes overzealous Wildcat boosters, Pitino said last week in Charlotte, N.C., at the Southeast Regional that his teams will never return to the days of having to win.

“We’re trying to change the image of basketball in Kentucky,” Pitino said. “What we’re saying is this is the business of entertainment, not the business of life and death.

“When we came here, there was talk that when Kentucky fans won, it was a relief more than it was a pleasure. I’m just not going to subscribe to that. I demand that our players not feel that way.”