Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino is backing out of an agreement to coach the Puerto Rico national team in preparation for the 2011 pre-Olympic qualifying tournament because of scheduling conflicts, the school announced Wednesday morning.

"Too many conflicts arose," Pitino said. "It is a great disappointment that we cannot take on the challenge to help them qualify for the Olympics."

One issue, according to Louisville officials, is that Pitino had hoped to take the Cardinals with him to Puerto Rico on a preseason "foreign" trip so that he could work with them while also working with the Puerto Rico national team, but the NCAA declined to OK that plan because Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth of the United States.

Louisville coach Rick Pitino is the only coach in America who has beaten the two teams that will play Monday night for the national title.

His Cardinals beat Butler 88-73 way back in mid-November and were 2-1 against Connecticut, beating the Huskies twice in the regular season and losing to them in the Big East tournament championship game.

"I think Butler will win the game, and it won't be at the buzzer," Pitino said Sunday, reached by telephone. "It'll be by seven or eight points."

After watching the national semifinals Saturday night, Pitino sees fatigue as the biggest factor in the Bulldogs' favor.

"My observation is that Connecticut's a tired team right now," he said. "I thinkKemba [Walker] is worn out. I think Butler is the winner because of it."