No sport rules the Bluegrass state like basketball - and arguably no coach since Adolph Rupp has done more for hoops in Kentucky than Rick Pitino.
Pitino took Kentucky to a national title in 1996 and is still revered in Lexington, even after jilting the Wildcats for the Boston Celtics 12 years ago, then moving on to Louisville, Kentucky's bitter rival.
He is a larger-than-life figure with his designer wardrobe, Italian dress shoes, best-selling books and - critically - his remarkable on-court success.
Now the beloved coach faces his greatest challenge - saving his career and reputation in the face of a salacious scandal.
Pitino's admission to police that he had a sexual encounter six years ago with a woman later charged with trying to extort $10 million from him has put the charismatic coach whose teams are known for their relentlessly attacking style on the defensive.
Pitino told police last month he had consensual sex with Karen Cunagin Sypher at a Louisville restaurant in 2003. They met again several weeks later, when he says she revealed she was pregnant and planned to have an abortion, but did not have health insurance.
