By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Normally, when Rick Pitino formulates a non-league schedule, one of the most important considerations is scheduling enough formidable opponents to get his team into the NCAA Tournament.

He didn't worry about that this year at Louisville.

It wasn't that Pitino didn't set the NCAA Tournament as a goal, it was just that he didn't think it was very realistic in only the second year of his rebuilding project.

"We didn't think it would happen from the regular season," Pitino said Monday. "We thought we'd be on the bubble, get two wins or maybe win the conference tournament at home, and then maybe have a shot at the tournament."

Instead, the Cardinals (16-1, 6-0 Conference USA) are the hottest team in college basketball, with a nation-best 15-game winning streak and a No. 5 ranking.

Far from having to worry about making the NCAA Tournament field, they have positioned themselves to nail down a No. 1 seed and are being talked about as a legitimate Final Four contender.

While the University of Cincinnati (13-5, 6-2) looks to stop its two-game skid against the Cardinals on Wednesday at Freedom Hall, Louisville is riding high under Pitino, who's working the same magic he weaved at Kentucky.

He took over as UK's head coach in 1989 while the Wildcats were on probation and made three Final Four appearances in eight years, including a national championship in 1996.

There are certain basics that Pitino has emphasized at both schools, but the turnaround at Louisville, he said, hasn't been as difficult as the one at Kentucky.

"It's obviously fundamentals and defense, playing hard and recruiting, which is the major objective any time you rebuild," Pitino said. "Kentucky was a little different because we were on probation the first two years. It was difficult. From a recruiting standpoint, it's tough because kids today are into short-sighted goals.

"We got very lucky because (Jamal) Mashburn came to Kentucky while we were on probation. That was the big difference maker there."

The difference maker this season has been 6-foot-10 center Marvin Stone, who transferred to Louisville after three years at Kentucky. Stone has averaged 13.3 points and 8.0 rebounds since gaining his eligibility Dec. 18.

The Cardinals are unbeaten with him in the lineup.

"It's just his physical presence," said Mick Cronin, the former UC assistant coach who now serves as Pitino's associate head coach. "Look at what happened to Cincinnati without Donald Little. Whether a guy has a great night scoring the ball or he steps over to help (on defense). It's hard to see over him, hard to pass over him."

With Stone dominating the middle, senior Reece Gaines (18.2 points, 5.2 assists per game) has been outstanding after moving from off-guard to point guard, an adjustment that has rippled throughout Pitino's rotation.

"Not only has he gone to a level I wasn't sure he could get to at point guard," Pitino said, "but he has opened up playing time for Taquan Dean and Francisco Garcia. That was a big key because both of those young men are terrific freshmen."

Pitino's trademarks at Louisville are familiar - an up-tempo offense and a smothering full-court defense.

The Cardinals lead C-USA in scoring with 84.6 points per game, which places them sixth nationally. Seven times they've fallen behind by 10 points or more, then recovered to win.

They've had eight scoring spurts of 12 points or more and have forced opponents into scoring droughts of three minutes or more 33 times.

They were at their best in their 95-76 win over Indiana last week, scoring the final 17 points and holding the Hoosiers without a field goal for the last 7:55.

They've been so good at times that even Pitino can't believe what he's seeing.

"For our players to reach that level this early, we're trying to manage this without embracing it all," he said. "We've got some bumps coming up in the road, normal losses that you get in conference play. We're very happy we're at the point we're at."

E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com

U of L at a glance

Record: 16-1, 6-0 Conference USA.

Rankings: 5th in Associated Press; 6th in ESPN/USA Today; 3rd in RPI.

Winning streak: 15 games, longest in the nation.

Top victories: 81-63 over Kentucky; 72-64 over Ohio State; 72-69 over Tennessee; 95-76 over Indiana.

The loss: 86-84 at Purdue.

Top scorers: Guard Reece Gaines 18.2 points per game; center Marvin Stone 13.2 points per game.

Top rebounder: Stone, Ellis Myles 8.0.

Top assists: Gaines 5.2.

Fast fact: Cards average 84.6 ppg

Pitino's college coaching career

Year	School	Record	Result
78-79	Boston U.	17-9	None
79-80	Boston U.	21-9	NIT
80-81	Boston U.	13-14	None
81-82	Boston U.	19-9	None
82-83	Boston U.	21-10	NCAA
85-86	Providence	17-14	NIT
86-87	Providence	25-9	Final 4
89-90	Kentucky	14-14	None
90-91	Kentucky	22-6	None
91-92	Kentucky	29-7	Elite 8
92-93	Kentucky	30-4	Final 4
93-94	Kentucky	27-7	NCAA
94-95	Kentucky	28-5	Elite 8
95-96	Kentucky	34-2	Champ
96-97	Kentucky	35-5	Final 4
01-02	Louisville	19-13	NIT
02-03	Louisville	16-1	?