NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Louisville coach Rick Pitino is taking a stance that'll probably make some Cardinals fans cringe: He's backing Kentucky in the NCAA national final.

Shortly after Louisville fell 69-61 to the Wildcats in the Final Four on Saturday night, Pitino said he hopes the Wildcats "bring it home for the state."

Pitino says he's well aware of the animosity fans of both teams have for one another and even made reference to a story about elderly kidney dialysis patients who got into a fist fight over the rivalry.

The Louisville coach, who also coached at Kentucky in the 1990s, says "those that have brains, they root for each other."

Pitino says the Cardinals like Kentucky coach John Calipari's team and he told Calipari he'd be pulling for him Monday night.