As the seconds elapsed and the sound escalated in Freedom Hall on Saturday, Rick Pitino ordered his team to stop the onslaught. "No shots," he yelled.

The Louisville Cardinals led the No. 14 Kentucky Wildcats 81-63, the victory was secure, and the moment had arrived yet again for Pitino: He had rushed another rebuilding job far ahead of schedule.

	Reece Gaines and Marvin Stone are the pillars Rick Pitino used to rebuild a lost Louisville program.

It happened at Boston U. It happened at Providence. It happened at Kentucky. It is happening again at Louisville. Nobody in the history of the game has proven better at turning disaster into delirium faster than Ricky P.

There were several captivating wins last year in his debut season with the Cardinals, most notably an upset of top-five Cincinnati. But to dominate Louisville's biggest rival so completely -- it was the worst loss in Tubby Smith's six years at Kentucky -- this was the valediction U of L fans envisioned when Pitino signed on in March 2001. (And the moment Kentucky fans had been dreading.)

"This was a big win for our program," Pitino said.

This game Dec. 28 at Freedom Hall was all the proof anyone in the state needed: Louisville basketball is back as a national entity. Two days later came proof from the AP poll, which ranked the 7-1 Cards for the first time in three years. Smith had better lace 'em up extra tight to avoid the same in-state fate that befell Denny Crum in the 1990s: serving as Pitino's frustrated and outflanked foil.

The game also served as a warning signal for Conference USA. Louisville heads into 2003 on a bigger roll than anyone else in the league, and joins Marquette and Memphis as the leading contenders for supremacy.

You can never discount Cincinnati, but the Bearcats' offensive struggles have been significant. They'll have to get better at that end in a hurry to extend their run of seven straight league titles.

The surprise teams in C-USA have come from the American Division, annually the strongest half of the league. East Carolina (8-2) reinforced its rep as a dangerous home team by upsetting Marquette in Greenville, N.C., Dec. 30 in the first conference game of the year. And DePaul has embraced the joys of defense in its first year under Dave Leitao.

In the National, John Calipari is getting more cohesion out of less talent at Memphis this year, scoring nice wins over Illinois and Syracuse. The Tigers again appear to be the class of a weak division. UAB has improved under first-year head coach Mike Anderson, while Tulane and Houston have been disappointments.

But C-USA's story of the year so far is the 'Ville.

Pitino's team has made this long stride from Year One to Year Two largely on offense. A group that often struggled to score last season now leads the league in scoring (88.5 points per game), assists and 3-point shooting percentage. It ranks second to Marquette in overall field-goal accuracy.

That's because of improvements both inside and out.

The arrival of Kentucky transfer Marvin Stone gives the Cardinals a legitimate low-post presence for the first time in many years. Stone's improved quickness in the post has given opponents problems so far, and his 76-percent foul shooting has helped him average a team-high 18.7 points in three games. (He scored a game-high 16 against his old Kentucky teammates and helped foul out good friend Marquis Estill.)

On the perimeter, the Cards are much better equipped to attack with that staple of PitinoBall, the 3-point shot. Last year Reece Gaines was often the lone reliable shooter. This year, while primarily playing point guard, Gaines is flanked by stone-cold freshmen Francisco Garcia (10.2 ppg, 50 percent FGs) and Taquan Dean (10.1 ppg, 44.7 percent on 3s). They've been overshadowed by other celebrated freshmen nationally, but Garcia and Dean have shoved some older players down the depth chart.

"They're both going to be great players for us," Pitino said.

The added depth and the Cards' superb conditioning have helped make them a fearsome second-half team. In the course of winning six straight, Louisville has outscored every opponent by at least 13 points after intermission. The Cards overwhelmed Kentucky by 21.

Next thing Louisville needs to do is win a major road game, something that didn't happen last year. The Cards blew out Seton Hall in The Meadowlands (Dec. 14), but the Pirates aren't great and the atmosphere wasn't nearly as hostile as what Louisville will see in the very near future. Three of its next four games are at Ohio State, Charlotte and East Carolina.

Games of the Week

Memphis at Arkansas Thursday This rivalry game is a big opportunity for the Razorbacks to establish some momentum heading into league play. But at full strength, the Tigers could be too strong. Xavier at Alabama Saturday Tough road game for the Musketeers without Lionel Chalmers, especially with the Crimson Tide undoubtedly stoked for redemption after losing at Utah. Louisville at Ohio State Saturday Cardinals will catch Columbus in one of two moods: Depressed or bonkers, depending on the outcome of the Fiesta Bowl the night before. LSU at Georgia Sunday The Tigers' first true road game is against one of the hotter teams in the land.

Super Mario Sparks MSU
One of the few teams hotter than Louisville is Mississippi State, which has won nine in a row after an opening loss. With Mario Austin back and playing forcefully (he's averaging 21 points and nine rebounds in four games), the Bulldogs are ranked in the top 10 and piling up some dominant statistics.

They lead the Southeastern Conference in scoring margin (plus-19.9 points per game), rebounding margin (plus-12.4) and field-goal defense (36.6 percent). And in a departure from past State schedules, it hasn't all come against Directional A & M. With double-digit wins over Xavier and Oklahoma on neutral floors, the Bulldogs have the kind of victories that can boost a team's seeding come March.

Austin has made an immediate impact since regaining his eligibility, but Rick Stansbury's team is more than just Mario. The Bulldogs might have the league's best backcourt in ace distributor Derrick Zimmerman and explosive off-guard Timmy Bowers. Senior Michael Ignerski has provided a productive baseline complement to Austin as well.

State is on a roll, but it will be challenged immediately in SEC play. Its first three games are at home against Florida next Tuesday, at LSU (where Arizona lost) Jan. 11 and at Alabama Jan. 15. The matchup with the Crimson Tide will be the latest installment in a deepening rivalry between the two marquee teams in the SEC West.

Alabama's sensational ride to its first No. 1 national ranking (AP) crashed on its first visit to an opponent's home court. The Tide lost 51-49 to a less-than-excellent Utah team, which exposed an old problem: occasional power failures on offense.

Rick Majerus can make just about anyone's offense look bad, but sometimes Alabama doesn't need much help struggling. The Tide scored fewer than 60 points in six of its eight losses last year -- including upsets against Mississippi State in the SEC tournament title game and against Kent State in the NCAA Tournament second round. Alabama was 22-0 last year scoring 70 or more, 5-8 when scoring less.

If anyone in the West is going to challenge the Tide and the Bulldogs, it's LSU. The Tigers' 9-1 start has been fueled by a user-friendly schedule, the huge win over Arizona and solid play from seniors Ronald Dupree and Torris Bright, plus instant impact from junior-college big man Jaime Lloreda. Bright leads the SEC in assists and has a 2.95-to-1 assist/turnover ratio, while leads the league in rebounding.

In the East, Georgia has survived missing players and the usual brutal schedule to arrive in 2003 in a roll. The Bulldogs' upset of Pittsburgh New Year's Eve, which likely keeps the Panthers from elevating to No. 1 in the land, was their seventh straight win after a 1-3 start. The return of forward-center Steve Thomas from academic ineligibility has made a major impact (13 points, 8.8 rebounds, three blocks and 1.5 steals in four games).

Florida hasn't found anyone to replace the bulk and rebounding ability of Udonis Haslem, aren't getting much from senior guard Brett Nelson and still haven't gotten a minute out of heralded recruit Christian Drejer. Yet the Gators have won seven straight behind freshmen Matt Walsh and Anthony Roberson.

If Kentucky is going to rise above the Gators or Bulldogs, it must get back to playing Tubby Smith defense. A program that is always at the top of the SEC's defensive statistics finds itself at other end: 11th in scoring defense and last in both field-goal percentage defense and three-point percentage defense. The Wildcats played a sensational December schedule -- North Carolina, Michigan State, Indiana and Louisville on successive Saturdays -- but those defensive numbers are counter to Smith's personal coaching beliefs.

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