“Coach said when I’m open, please shoot the ball,” Garcia said. “I saw a couple of open shots and I took them.”

Juan Palacios shot 6-for-11 for 14 points and Ellis Myles had eight points and 13 boards to help Louisville finish with an 11-rebound advantage in the battle between two teams, neither known much for their inside presence.

Robinson finished with eight points — 0-for-5 from 3-point range — and Simmons went 3-for-6 for 10 points.

The guards, each averaging more than 16 points this season, struggled mightily in the second half, unable to shake the effects of sitting on the bench for such a long time earlier. Williams finished with 18 points, Roy had 15 and Will Conroy had 14 points and eight assists to keep the Huskies within reach.

But neutralizing the Huskies guards was the key, and Pitino deserves a tip of the hat for that. Not only did the inside-outside strategy work, but the veteran coach with 448 career wins and four trips to the Final Four also mercilessly worked the officials over the first 9½ minutes, while the Cardinals were picking up six fouls.

Louisville only committed two more the rest of the half while both Simmons and Robinson — neither of them normally foul prone — found themselves on the bench.

“We have a normal rotation and that was disrupted tonight,” Romar said. “But give Louisville credit. They put us in positions where we had to foul.”

Thus ended a very nice run for the Huskies, who won the Pac-10 tournament and surprised pretty much everyone but themselves when they picked up their top seeding. This was their first trip to the regional semifinals since 1998, but the Huskies will have to wait to make the Final Four; they haven’t been there since 1953.

Pitino and the Cardinals, meanwhile, are regulars.

Louisville is seeking its eighth trip to the Final Four and its first since 1986, when coach Denny Crum and Pervis Ellison led the Cards to the national title. Pitino was last there in 1997, when he coached Kentucky.

His return to the Wildcats’ archrival in 2001 caused an uproar around the state, but nobody can argue with the results. After a 3½-year stint with the Boston Celtics, he returned to the Bluegrass state and turned the Cardinals into a winner in his first season.

Now, he’s got them thinking about the title.

“I like pro ball ... but it’s winning with misery,” Pitino said. “College basketball has so much to be happy about.”

Notes: The 11 3-pointers tied Louisville’s NCAA tournament record. The Cardinals hit 11 in a 2003 game against Butler. ... Washington failed in its quest to win its 30th game. The Huskies are one of only four teams with 1,500 wins who have failed to win 30 in a season.

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