Rick Pitino didn't really want Marvin Stone's first minutes in a Louisville uniform played in Freedom Hall. At least they didn't come against Kentucky.

Hoping to ease Stone into his first game action, Pitino would have preferred his Cardinals been outside Kentucky state lines last week. But, as someone who knows a thing or two about switching colors in the Commonwealth, the coach was at least happy Stone's first game with Louisville didn't come against his former Wildcat teammates.

	Marvin Stone was a force in the paint, scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in his Louisville debut.

Stone will avoid hearing the boos Pitino was subject to last year when he returned to Rupp Arena in the annual Bluegrass State battle. Instead, Stone will be hailed as a conquering king when he is introduced in front of Cardinals fans on Saturday. Still, the hoopla over Stone's not-so-subtle transfer less than a year ago will certainly be the major story leading up to the game.

"It would have been a nightmare to put him in a game like that against his old teammates without any experience at all (playing with Louisville)," Pitino said of the senior power forward who played nine games last season before leaving Kentucky after the Christmas break.

"If he had opened up on the road then he would have been more relaxed. He played well, not great, but did what I had hoped. He was tired, emotional, and got a big lift from a thunderous ovation. It'll get easier from now on."

Stone started his Louisville career by scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds against Manhattan in the championship game of the Billy Minardi Classic. He got another warmup against Furman on Sunday, scoring 21 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.

Now comes the showdown against the 'Cats in Freedom Hall.

"I was a little nervous at the beginning (Wednesday)," Stone said. "I need a couple of games to get back to being in big-time college basketball. I'm glad I've got a few games before Kentucky. That's a big game, it's one that I'm going to give my all, too. None of my teammates here have beaten Kentucky (in the last three years). It'll be strange at the beginning, but all we care about is the victory."

Stone was an enigma for Kentucky. He had loads of potential that was rarely reached during his two-plus seasons in Lexington. He was a solid defender for the Wildcats but never became an offensive threat. He averaged 4.6 and 6.0 points while starting nine games during his first two years. He shared time with Marquis Estill and Jules Camara, never emerging as the No. 1 post player.

His and the program's frustrations came to a head last season, when he averaged 5.3 points and 4.0 rebounds before leaving. He missed the Louisville game, then irked head coach Tubby Smith even more when he said he would transfer to Louisville. Kentucky balked about releasing him from his scholarship. But public pressure finally forced Kentucky to cave, and he received an athletic scholarship from Louisville.

"I was frustrated for 2½ years there," Stone said. "I wanted to transfer after my first year. I tried to hang in there but it never got better. Playing time was part of it. I didn't think coach Smith had confidence in me. I was frustrated. I was trying to work hard in my academics and I was struggling with that too."

Pitino, meanwhile, was sold on Stone from the outset, but only if he were willing to work. He was and has been a pleasure for Pitino and his Louisville teammates.

	“	It would have been a nightmare to put him in a game like that against his old teammates without any experience at all (playing with Louisville). He played well, not great, but did what I had hoped. ... It'll get easier from now on. ”
		— Rick Pitino on Marvin Stone's Louisville debut

"He's gone from 14 percent to 7.5 body fat and is much stronger physically,'' said Pitino. Stone was listed at a generous 253 pounds in last year's UK media guide. He took the court Wednesday still 6-foot-10 but a cut 240.

"He's a great kid, no problem at all. He's always, 'Yes sir,' 'No, sir.' I just have to get him to play cohesively with Ellis Myles in the post."

"Is he better than he was at Kentucky? I don't know because I never saw him," said Pitino, who was coaching the Celtics when Stone was a freshman and sophomore. "His body is different, that I know. He's not one-dimensional. He makes everybody better with his passing."

Stone was sold on Pitino, which is why he chose Louisville. But Pitino won him over for good when he started him. Remember, this is a kid who earned just 11 starting assignments in 75 career games at Kentucky. What did being introduced as a starter mean to Stone? It meant Pitino had confidence in his game and work ethic.

"That was a big plus," Stone said. "I didn't want to come off the bench. I wanted to be out there."

The question from Day One, which will remain unanswered until well after the Kentucky game, is whether Stone has been hyped too much? He is being billed as a difference-maker in Conference USA, a player who can turn the Cardinals into an NCAA team again after missing the postseason in Denny Crum's last season and reaching the NIT under Pitino last year.

The answer, at least against a team like Manhattan, is apparently "No."

Stone's performance against the Jaspers showed he could be a double-double player. Senior guard Reece Gaines, who is vying with Marquette's Dwyane Wade for C-USA, and possibly national, player of the year honors, scored 18 in the win. He's averaging 20 a game. Pitino billed the Gaines-Stone tandem as the outside-in combo the Cardinals missed a year ago.

"He exceeded my expectations," Gaines said. "I didn't think he would play that good after sitting a year. He overpowered people in practice, but we weren't sure what he would do in the game. He wasn't able to show how good a passer he is.

"At first I was worried about (the hype)," Gaines said. "I knew coach didn't mean for him to score 40 points. He meant he would be a threat in the post and a great passer in the post and block shots. He's got a great body to do that."

Louisville lost to Purdue in the John Wooden Tradition in Indianapolis. But that's its only blemish so far. The Cardinals won at Seton Hall and have cleaned up at home in four other games heading into Furman. The true test will come against Kentucky on the 28th before road games at Ohio State and then Charlotte for the start of Conference USA.

"Last year we were mediocre and did much better than anticipated," Pitino said. "This year, we have much higher expectations for ourselves."

Those expectations don't start and end with Stone, but he's easily the most anticipated addition to a Division I team. Not to mention, an intriguing subplot to one of college basketball's fiercest rivalries.

Andy Katz is a senior writer for ESPN.com.