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Rick Pitino skips postgame presser after loss to Kentucky, denies flipping off fans

Andy Lyons / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Louisville head coach Rick Pitino didn't show up to his postgame press conference after Kentucky beat his Cardinals 75-73 on Boxing Day.

Instead of facing the music himself, he sent assistant coach Ralph Willard to speak with the press. Needless to say, some media members weren't too pleased:

The game itself was a heated affair, to say the least. Both Pitino and Wildcats head coach John Calipari were issued technical fouls in the first half. But what happened after the game was clearly the talk of the town.

Prior to missing his presser, a video emerged of Pitino appearing to flip off fans as he entered the tunnel:

Afterwards, Pitino denied giving the fans the middle finger, telling ESPN by text message that his response to some ugly comments from the crowd was a "we r #1" sign.

"No, I didn't flip off the fans. I was in the tunnel. People were yelling ugly crude things that I didn't like. The 1-8 comment (in reference to Pitino's record against Calipari-led Kentucky teams) was fine. But the other comments I didn't like," he wrote.

During his own postgame press conference, Calipari took a soft jab at Pitino, referencing the technicals they both received:

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