It's showtime!

Tennessee and Louisville fans following the NCAA tournament can look forward to a double-dose of entertainment this week.

The coaching matchup between ringleaders Bruce Pearl and Rick Pitino could prove to be just as compelling as Thursday's Sweet 16 game between the East Region's second-seeded Vols (31-4) and third-seeded Cardinals (26-8).

Pearl won't be bare-chested or wearing an orange sports coat when the teams tip off at 10 p.m. (TV: WVLT) in Charlotte, N.C., nor will Pitino sport the white suit he wore during the first half of his team's Valentine's Day game this season.

But in Pitino and Pearl, college basketball fans can find two of the most animated, passionate coaches in the business. The pair has 38 years of collegiate head coaching experience between them, 914 wins, two national titles and two national runner-up finishes, albeit, Pearl's were at Division II Southern Indiana while Pitino's were at Kentucky.

These coaches don't just win, they do it with flair, from their side-court dress and post-game comments, to the electrifying uptempo style their teams have ridden to wild success.

"What I've liked about what (Pearl) has done, not only is he winning, but he's made it fun for the fans, fun for the program and fun for the players,'' Pitino said. "It's about building an enthusiasm for the program and he's done that. The players like playing that style; there's a lot of energy around the Tennessee program.''

Likewise at Louisville, where by taking the Cardinals to the Final Four in 2005, Pitino became the first coach in history to take three different schools to the Final Four (Providence and Kentucky being the other two).

"I remember when I was at (Wisconsin-Milwaukee) we went to Louisville and played in their (Jim Thorpe) classic,'' Pearl said. "We were down 22 to Virginia Tech and won that game ... then I remember getting it handed to us by Louisville (90-75, Dec. 7, 2001) the next night.

"So I've gone up against coach Pitino, and it was a complete mismatch the last time.''

Pearl's respect for Pitino, however, goes back considerably further, back to the days he was serving as a student assistant to Dr. Tom Davis at Boston College while Pitino was at his first head coaching job at Boston University.

"I grew up admiring him literally,'' Pearl said. "He was there in Boston at a time when Tom Davis was coaching Boston College and Jim Calhoun was coaching Northeastern,'' Pearl said. "They watched each other, and they competed against each other, and they annoyed each other. But they all developed a system of uptempo basketball and pressure defense.

"They carried the torch that John Wooden and Jack Ramsey had established with pressure defense, and they took it to other levels.''

Pitino said that while there are similarities between his style and Pearl's, there are also differences.

"We're the same in the outcome we want, but different in how we execute,'' Pitino said. "We (both) want to force turnovers, we want to create deflections, we want to get easy baskets and, offensively, we want to share the basketball.

"But it's a different system.''

As for the similarities in their side-court antics and animation, Pearl said he doesn't think neither he nor Pitino has a game plan.

"I don't know coach Pitino that well, but I guarantee you what you see is what you get,'' Pearl said, "he's a coach that's passionate, he's animated, he's intense. … If it looks like it's a show, so be it.

"You can't try to be something else. I'm not gonna try to be calm, cool and collected; that's just not who I am.''

The guy with the shirt off at the Lady Vols game last year is who he is, and unlike some other coaches, Pitino was a fan of Pearl's antic.

"I liked it a lot - especially when someone doesn't have the greatest body in the world, it shows he doesn't take himself to serious,'' Pitino said. "I thought it was great and added fun to the game. I love things like that, because this is about fun. He's great for college basketball.''

As for Pitino's all-white Valentine's Day attire, Pitino replied, "at least I kept my clothes on.''

Pearl chuckled at the Pitino's playful ribbing.

"He out-coached me the last time, he always out-dresses me, out-dresses everybody,'' Pearl said. "I'm trying to learn. I'm good, he's the best.''

Lofton In Walking Boot: Pearl said senior guard Chris Lofton was in a protective walking boot Monday. The injury occurred during Sunday's overtime victory against Butler in Birmingham, Ala.

"Chris tweaked his ankle in the first half," Pearl said. "He will be evaluated the next couple of days, but we anticipate he will play Thursday."

Notebook: The Vols lifted weights and watched film Monday but did not practice. UT will return to the practice court today before leaving for Charlotte at 6 p.m. ... There will be a send-off gathering in the Pratt Practice Pavilion parking lot prior to the team's departure, and fans are invited to attend.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.